History of Tatar-Muslims Community in Soviet Petrograd-Leningrad (1917-1991) Basing on the Private and State Photo Archives

Abstract

This article looks into the history of Muslim community of PetrogradLeningrad during the Soviet time. The author pays special attention to its little-known and understudied aspects by referring to a wide range of sources from oral memoirs to diary extracts. Of particular importance are photographic materials from state and private photo archives. The picture helps to provide a broader view of the history of Muslim community, both from the standpoint of a photographer and through the eyes of believers themselves. Special focus is made on the life of the two imam-khatibs of the Leningrad Cathedral Mosque: Yakub Halekov and Hafiz Mahmutov. The author examines how official and unofficial leaders and institutions governing Tatar-Muslim community in Leningrad and a number of towns in the Leningrad region emerged and worked. Some photographs coming from private archives often serve as a starting point for a broader study of forms of Islam in the Soviet Union.