Kruszyniany Mosque

The oldest surviving Tatar mosque in Poland stands in a village that John III Sobieski granted to Tatar warriors in the 17th century as a reward for their service in the war against the Turks. The wooden building, on a 10 × 13 m plan, is first mentioned in documents from 1717; the current structure was probably built in the late 18th or in the 19th century, and the 1846 renovation is commemorated by a stone by the women's entrance. Since 22 October 2012 the mosque (together with the one in Bohoniki) has been a Monument of History.

Interior in dark green

The wood is painted dark green — the colour of Islam — and towers topped with crescents rise above the shingled roof. Women enter through the main axis, men from the side; inside, a wooden partition with a slit covered by white cloth separates the women's gallery from the prayer hall. In the wall facing south-east, a mihrab niche marks the direction of Mecca, with a minbar (pulpit) beside it. The walls are decorated with muhirs — calligraphic quotations from the Quran.

A living house of prayer

Friday services were held regularly in the lifetime of the last local imam, Aleksander Bajraszewski; today sermons are delivered only on the great feasts. Prince Charles visited in 2010. After an act of vandalism in 2014, the multi-faith community quickly restored the walls and the gravestones of the mizar.

In practice

Right next door lies the mizar, a historic Muslim cemetery. The village also has an exhibition room devoted to Tatar history, and a Tatar yurt serves kibiny and shish kebab. The mosque is open to visitors, but it remains an active house of prayer: show respect and take off your shoes where your host directs.