We thought it might be interesting to visit Grozny city of today and look how it has changed after the war. It turned out that the city was totally restored and it doesn’t remind much of the hard time it had to go through.
There are no exchange offices in Grozny but there are many money changers who always offer favorable rate.
The main mosque of the city
It’s the largest mosque in Russia and Europe.
It was opened on 17, October, 2008 during the forum “Islam – religion of peace and creation”. Its construction began in 2006 with the assistance of Turkey. The mosque’s minarets are the haghest in Russia, but the height of the cupola is 3 meters less than those in Kazan and St. Petersburg. Besides, it is more spacious than the mosque of Makhachkala.
Outside and inside walls are decorated with rarest marble – travertine, and the interior is beautified with white marble that is quarried on the island of Marmara Adasi in the Sea of Marmara.
There are lots of FSB officers in Grozny.
Only unarmed people may enter the mosque.
The main cupola of the mosque
The mosque was painted by Turkish masters, the mosque will keep its colors for the nearest 50 years. Patterns and texts have been written with pure gold spatter.
There are 36 chandeliers in the mosque. Their making took some tons of bronze, 2,5kg of pure gold and more than a million of various details. The chandeliers have a Chechen ornament.
Studying the Koran
The usable area of the mosque is 5000 m2, height of the minarets – 62 m, the total area of the Islamic center – 14 hectares.
Saint Michael the Archangel Cathedral in Grozny
The cathedral was founded in the end of the XIX century, it was seriously damaged during the Chechen conflict, however it was restored and opened in 2006.
Fewer and fewer people come here …
It’s the only one cathedral in Chechnya except for a chapel in some village.
The Sunzha river
The Grozny City complex – the 1st construction stage consists of 8 buildings but they plan to build 50 of them.
A view from the City’s towers.
Today about 7000 Russians live in Grozny and theydon’t complain about persecution.
The worst curse in Chechnya: “let the fireplace go out in this house.”
Only Chechen women have to cover their heads.
A Chechen man may marry a woman of any nationality but a Chechen woman should marry only a Chechen man.
“ISLAM” taxi
Police may ask you to show your documents in any moment.
“Heart of Chechnya” LTD. Nice.
Another peculiarity – many cars with flashers, and much noice in the streets…
However some unrestored districts can also be found.
Sasha helps to dismantle houses, he’s paid about 33 USD a day…
Only recently this woman and three other families lived in a demolished house. She moved to another abandoned during the war but not demolished house, however, she hasn’t been given any documents.
Sasha doesn’t plan to leave this place.
Schoolchildren. Traditionally adults do not pay much attention to problems, feelings and emotions of kids.
A man is showing the foundation of his house. He’s been given 11550 USD for its restoration but he spent this money for education of his three sons, however, he plans to restore the house anyway.
Some people still live in demolished houses …
A new school, girls wear kerchiefs of different colors depending on the grade.
“Moscow-Grozny” Train
Guests are always warmly welcomed in Chechen houses, it’s a good tradition.
Taxi in the city – about 3 USD, through the call service it costs about 3,7 USD. Each day a taxi-driver should give 22USD to his firm.
666 USD – is an average monthly salary of a taxi-driver.
“Berkat” market.
“If you don’t act like a man, don’t sprout a moustache!” Those who have a moustache should follow three prohibitions: not to cry with grief, not laugh with joy, never escape in case of any threat.
Someone hasn’t paid a rental and all the pavilion has been closed. A guard is explaining: nobody will work till one doesn’t pay.
via zyalt
First?! Nice pics too
Very beautiful and peaceful looking, I’m surprised.
I like the name of the street too, V.V.Putin street, cant get better than that
Wait until they rename Moscow to Putingrad.
much more better StPete to StPutinburg cause the last one is his hometown
The idiocy and immorality of religion: While neighborhoods are devastated, money is poured into building gaudy, pornographic religious edifices. Just a waste.
What do you, atheist, have to say about morality? If there is no supreme being you are free to rape and murder, for we are evolved from mud and slime, and there’s no morality there.
As long as it keeps the Chechens quiet it’s a good idea to build them mosques. If they try to rise again then it will have to be razed.
That is absurd. Humans can feel pain and empathy for others. They can see what works and what not. Not believing in supernatural entity with human form doesn’t mean we cannot develop ethics about how we think life is better.
Depends on how you view religion. To many, it is the most important part of their lives, and getting their faith life back to normal is the most important step towards rebuilding their lives. Don’t try to foist your belief in the non-existence of God on everyone else. Not everyone wants to live a life devoid of greater meaning like yourself.
so you *need a beautiful place just to pray? i wonder how many people who pray there *need* money to feed there family. religion is the biggest waist of resources in the world, more so then oil. prove to me your god is real and ill ignore the fact fossils are all around us.
On the other hand, the founders and prophets of various religions started preaching with nothing more than a boulder or tree for their chapel/synagogue/mosque. When and why did that change into ostentatious gaudiness?
I believe there is one God who sent many prophets
the point of having many religions is that poeple tries to change their believes for their benefist
for example their was one Christ and now there is many christian way of believers
and about proving that God exist >> it is much easier than proving it is not
because an invention need an inventor
and I cannot believe that all these details with that precision and perfection is made all by mistakes
about using that much of gold and money on that building
In islamic religion you shouldn’t do that (even it is not forbidden) but like you said poor children worth more
prophet Mohammed peace be upon him built a very simple masjid for prayer, and totally wasnt like that
sorry for that long speech but i wanted to reply :S
thanks for these wonderful pics 🙂
long live Islam!!!!
Religion=God? There are thousands of religions- does that mean there are thousands of Gods?
Very cool pictures. Some impressive buildings. Thanks for the picture uploads…
Nice Picture 🙂
Great pics. It makes me want to go there. Of course every one of these posts about a particular place makes me want to go to that place…
Anyway, good post!
if you gonna do it then you should obtain AK-74 and a couple of grenades for your life
+1.
I’d also recommend against walking alone, talking to women and staying longer than one day.
That’s what americans should do in Afghanistan, if they want to end conflict there…
Thnx 4 sharing
The mosque is obviously a (smaller?) copy of the famous Hagia Sofia cathedral in Istanbul. What the builders in Grozny probably didn’t know is that Hagia Sofia originally was a Christian chirch, and only in 1453 it was converted into an Islamic mosque, primarily by adding minarets. (In 1453 Constantinople – today Istanbul – was captured by the Ottoman Turks.) Prior to that Hagia Sofia served as the palace chapel for the Byzantine emperors and was the site of their coronations.
its good that they dont know that because they will transform the last Christian cathedral in Grozny into mosque like their turkish friends did
That is hard to argue with. It would be easier if more moderate muslems actually stood up to confront the radical elements in their own religion. All I hear is crickets chirping though.
”It would be easier if more moderate muslems actually stood up to confront the radical elements in their own religion.”
In Russia they say: ”The bees against the honey”
Its much more easier for them to blow up metro cars like they’ve done in Moscow on March 29 2010 having killed 40 people and wounded about 100
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Moscow_Metro_bombings
you are a nazi racist.
John, ou are including a lot of very different people with very different opinions in your “they”.
Similarly, you are including both yourself and presumably all the posters on this site in your “we”, despite us having few opinions in common. Please don’t claim to be representing others when you are being an asshat.
Whatever one believs in God or not, Grozny is a beautiful place and i hope the demolished houses will be fully restored som day in the future.
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That city has come a long way. The country is living in as much fear as at any point in the last decade, however. Pray that non of your cousin’s in-laws are fighting with the insurgents, or the police might burn down your house and torture your wife.
I wonder how many people visit Russia based on what they see on this site? I want to see the whole country!
The beautiful women and the Russian hospitality are a big part of the country!That I will never forget 🙂
Islam is the world’s largest cult. It institutionalizes the degradation of women in property and sex slaves for their husband. A Muslim man can divorce his wife by sending her an email. Muslim people I know are good people, sadly they are trapped by birth in a so-called religion containing much negativity.
Very nice pictures, but, from our european point of view, Chechenia is Asia, not Europe. So simple…
Russian Emirates 🙂
ummm..the entire city buildings are alligned in a grid pattern, this mosque is facing what? mecca? there is more to it ..it’s a symbol of power and control. Women can not marry outside of the religion but men can ..a pretty good system if the goal is for Islam to dominate the next offspring seeing how the women are the child bearrers and men are the control.I guess the question one has to ask.. has Islam achieved all the things it preaches in the countries it has taken over and is this what our world should be like …Islamic world is responsible for less then 20 % of new science and innovation..is this what we want?
i m drawn to the beauty of the place, the culture that they practise and the really georgous people in the country. Another thing added to my wishlist: to visit Grozny !;)
Chechenya e denj fineste plassn, dokk trøng itj Ã¥ si ting dokk itj veit! Allj i Chechenya e muslima Alhamdulillah, reine folk, ezd bu ghilkh ghulkh dolsh bu! A ne durakie kak vy….tak chto zaktnys!!!!!