The main mosque of Pavlodar is seen from across of the city. Sky-blue dome is as shanyrak crowned by golden crescent, and the upward aspiration blue minarets and majestic staircase can command respect and admiration from all residents and visitors of the city. Despite the fact that the mosque was built relatively recently, this magnificent building is added to the list of the main attractions of Pavlodar.
Mosque of Mashhur Zhusup is located in the center of Pavlodar. The architectural ensemble of the mosque is located in the central park and covers an area of 6 hectares. Main entrances are located on the streets of Kutuzov, Krivenko and Kairbaeva.
The mosque building presents eight-pointed star with size of 48 x 48 meters, the height of the minarets is 63 meters, the height of the dome with the crescent is 54 meters. Mosque building was built in the shape of eight-pointed star, the dome of the mosque is blue color, and made in the form of shanyrak. Dome height of male prayers’ hall is 33 meters with 1200 seats, diameter - 30 meters. The total area of the mosque is 7240 square meters. Two floors of the main building and minarets are made of bricks; the dome is from the metal structures. The main hall of the mosque is decorated with magnificent crystal chandelier "Zumrad" with 434 lamps, which was made in Tashkent.
In architectural terms, the mosque building is like an open heart, symbolically open for peace and goodness. The first floor of the mosque has classrooms of madrassas, prayers’ hall for women with 300-seat, wedding hall, a dining room for 300 people with ancillary facilities, facilities for bathing, dressing, etc.
Wedding hall and the dining room can be combined into one large room through transforming wall. There is prayers’ hall with balcony for 1200 people, a museum of Islamic culture, library, video room, staff rooms and halls on the second floor. The main entrance of the building leads to the second floor.
Construction of the mosque began in 2000 and lasted about two years. The magnificent mosque opened doors to prayers in 2001. The mosque was named in honor of the highly educated and deeply religious man, a famous scientist orientalist Mashhur Zhusup Kopeev.
Mashkhur Zhusup Kopeev (1858 - 1931), also known as Mashhur-Zhusup Kopeyuly - the Kazakh poet, philosopher, historian, ethnographer and collector of oriental folklore of the Kazakh people. He studied at village school. He studied at Bukhara madrassa of Khazret Camar in 1870. After studying, he went to Northern and Central Kazakhstan regions and collected works of folklore. During his traveling, he visited many famous places in Kazakhstan: Karaotkel, Atbasar, Kyzylzhar, and acquainted with life and folklore of tribes, who lived in these lands. Even at that time, he showed himself as a thoughtful and observant poet, who could accurately describe and convey events and phenomena of the life.
In 1872, Mashhur Zhusup decided to continue his education, and he entered the Kokeldash madrasas in Bukhara. After graduation, he received the highest Muslim religious education. After graduating from madrasas, he worked for several years as a teacher in his homeland.
He worked as a teacher in the village from 1875, and was actively worked on journalistic activities. His articles, essays, periodical information published in the newspaper "Dala ualayaty" and the magazine "Aikap". Using great popularity and authority among the people, who adored his knowledge and talent, he was given the name "Mashkhur", which translated from Arabic, means "glorious, famous and worthy".
He was in Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent, Turkestan and other cities during 1887 - 1890 years in order to explore the life, culture and life of Central Asia people. Meeting with the Russian orientalist –Türkologist, ethnographer V.Radloff influenced the formation of interests of Mashhur Zhusup, as a collector of Kazakh folklore. Numerous samples of Kazakh folklore published and collected by him.
The publishing house of Khusainov published poetry collections of Mashhur Zhusup such as
"The experience of life", "Regulations" and prose book "Who owns the Sary-Arka", which caused a sharp response of state in Kazan, 1907. Almost the entire edition of literature was seized; the author was listed as politically unreliable. As a result, Mashkhur Zhusup had to get away to Tashkent, in order not to be arrested. The author touched upon the problems of social inequality, freedom of education and freedom of speech in his works. "In paying tribute to science", "Today's class of Kazakhs", "Overall I was looking for a life partner", "Letter", "Mothers" and others were indication poems. Oral written epics: "Haggle devils", "Hawk and the Nightingale", "The Old Man and two young" and others. Good knowledge of Arabic and Persian allowed Mashkhur Zhusupov to learn deeply the poetry of the East, and to create epics "Gulshat-Sherizat", "Gibrat-Nama", "Bayan-nama" and others according to oriental motifs. Recorded works from oral folk storytellers as Bukhar zhyrau, Kotesha, Shortanbay, Shozhe, poems of Abay, S.Toraigyrov are rich materials for folklorists, historians and literary critics.
In honor of this writer, scholar and a worthy son of the Kazakh people, the main mosque of Pavlodar was named after him.
Architectural settlement of the mosque of Mashhur Zhusup amazes with beauty and grandeur, and it is a jewel of Pavlodar. It was joined to the list of attractions all over Kazakhstan.
Pavlodar Priirtyshe is an interesting and important area for archaeological research. Many monuments are evidence of it, which were left by our ancestors. According to scientists, some of monuments refer to Paleolithic era. Auliekol is one of the unique archaeological cities, which is located in Ekibastuz, Pavlodar region, from 50 km to the north-west of Ekibastuz, at the confluence of the Olenty river into Auliekol Lake.
Blagoveshenski cathedral of Pavlodar is the second Orthodox Church in Pavlodar. It is a good example of combination of classical style of church building using modern materials. The temple is situated on the coast of the Irtysh, ToraygyrovStreet, 1.