In 2021 I visited for the first time the republics of Russia where local national culture plays a big role in society. And also a large population is Muslim. It was interesting for me to get to know the culture, which is new to me. That's how I first found myself in a mosque and started photographing the interiors of Russian mosques. Now my project includes shooting in 14 mosques. Each of them has its own characteristics in construction and interior decoration. But if you look closely, it is easy to see certain rules and typologies. Or exceptions to them
The mihrab is a niche in the wall of a mosque pointing in the direction of the Kaaba. Muslims face the mihrab during prayer. The mihrab is often decorated around the perimeter with tiles, carvings and inscriptions from the Koran and flanked by two semi-columns. In large mosques several mihrabs are built so that one of them is always in sight of the person praying.
When you enter a mosque and take off your shoes, you step on the rug. The whole floor of mosques is covered with rugs.
The rugs may have a different pattern, but whatever it is, there is a repetition of certain symbols. The pattern of a prayer rug differs from the pattern on other similar items in that it uses an arch or prayer niche (mihrab) as the central organising motif of the composition. Often the mihrab reproduces the direction to Mecca, or qibla
Misbaha - Prayer beads used in Islam. It is used almost universally in Muslim circles to make counting easier when performing zikr, praising Allah, additional prayers to the Namaz, and so on. The most commonly used rosary with 99 grains (the number of Allah's names)