Karakol: Keep the faith

Set amongst gardens and trees, this wooden structure with green-roofed towers and golden onion domes The Holy Trinity Cathedral was built on the foundations of the original that was completely destroyed in an earthquake of 1890

Karakol was founded in 1869 as a garrison town on the edges of the Tsarist Empire of Russia, the church was built to serve the troops stationed in the area

Upon its completion, the spire of the was the tallest building in Karakol, 85 feet tall.

The church was active until 1917, when following the Revolution, it became property of the state, subsequently religious services ended and the bolsheviks put the church to many uses over the following 75 years..... an educational centre housing a school, a ladies’ gymnasium and Sports Hall; a theatre, dance hall and even as a warehouse for holding coal.

The communist state removed the onion domes in the 1930's, by which time the interior had been looted and virtually destroyed, and it wasn't until the 1960's that serious restoration and repair took place. But it was not until 1992 after the fall of the USSR that it fully returned to religious use.

At the back end of the 19th C, bunch of Chinese Muslims, known as Dungans, fleeing political unrest in China, arrived at Karakol. bringing with them their own culture architecture and tradition.

In 1904, they built their own mosque which was eventually named after their own ethnic group. It was built to two main guidlines. It had to conform to traditional Chinese architecture and there were to be no nails used in the construction. The work was undertaken by twenty master carvers from China.

It took six years to construct the mosque, which is held up by 42 main pillars topped by a three-tiered wooden frame.

Looking very much like like a Buddhist temple, reflecting the pre-Islamic history of the Dungan people. Also highly traditional of the Dungan peoples is the predominant use of three colours, red, yellow and blue

During the Soviet purges of all things religious, Dungan Mosque was spared which destroyed the other eight mosques in Karakol, destruction but between 1929-47 was used as a storehouse.

Following the end of WWII, the mosque was handed back to the community, who maintain the upkeep of the building to this day. It is now the only example of Chinese architecture left in Karakol and is a registered historical building protected by Kyrgyz law.

Sadaga is a voluntary charity where a muslim gives to the needy at his own discretion, as he sees fit, the intention being to earn the pleasure of Allah. In other words you are blackmailed into giving really, are you not? I mean hey Allah is the be all and end all to muslims, best not piss him off or there will be none of those 24 virgins awaiting you, hmm! more patriarchal bollocks.

Babushka , thinks fuck that nonsense as she rattles her tin

Yes I gave to her