Indonesian President Saddened by Abandoned Building in Russia, Requests It Be Restored

In the long history of relations between Indonesia and Russia, there is one story that is rarely known to the public. Indonesia’s first President, Soekarno, was once saddened to see an abandoned building in Russia, which was then known as the Soviet Union. He then asked the government there to return the building to its original function.

This incident occurred in August 1956, during the first President of the Republic of Indonesia’s state visit to the Soviet Union. During his visit, Soekarno toured several important cities, including Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg.

In the midst of the visit, Soekarno’s attention was suddenly drawn to an old building that appeared shabby and neglected. From the outside, the building looked like an ordinary blue warehouse, standing in a state of disrepair.

However, Soekarno’s historical instinct suggested otherwise. He felt that the building was not just a warehouse. After further investigation, his suspicion proved correct. The building that Soekarno saw was indeed once a historic mosque.

During World War II, many places of worship in the Soviet region were repurposed as armaments warehouses, including mosques and churches. As a result, many historic buildings became shabby, damaged, and lost their primary function.

The sight touched Soekarno. He felt that the building held significant meaning, not only as a place of worship but also as a symbol of Islamic history in Russia.

The mosque itself was built in 1910 and had once been the main place of worship for around 8,000 Muslims in Leningrad. In its time, the building was even known as one of the largest mosques in Europe, complete with a large dome and two towering minarets.

A few days after seeing its condition firsthand, Soekarno met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. In that meeting, he expressed his concern about the mosque that had been turned into a warehouse and left unattended.

“The mosque could accommodate more than 3,000 Muslims for congregational prayers,” Soekarno thought, quoted from Sahabat lama, era baru: 60 tahun pasang surut hubungan Indonesia-Rusia (2010) by Tomi Lebang.

Soekarno’s heartfelt plea was taken seriously by Khrushchev. From that meeting came a special request from Indonesia’s first President, namely to return the historic building to being a mosque.

“Soekarno requested that this mosque be returned to its function. Only 10 days after President Soekarno’s visit, this building became a mosque again,” said the mosque’s imam, Zhapar N. Panchaev.

The request yielded quick results. The mosque was soon renovated and returned to functioning as a place of worship for Muslims in Leningrad. Now, the building still stands firmly in St. Petersburg and is known as the Blue Mosque, referring to its distinctive blue dome.

Interestingly, many local residents later nicknamed it the “Soekarno Mosque” as a form of respect for the services of the Indonesian president who helped save one of the important symbols of Islamic history in Russia.