The history of Simferopol is closely connected with the oldest building of the city, located on Kurchatova Street, 4, Kebir Jami Mosque. It is in this part of the city, on the bank of the Salgir, in the early 16th century, appeared the Tatar settlement Ak Mosque, which means «White Mosque» in Russian. In the center was built the main mosque — Kebir-Jami, the official date of construction is considered 1508.
In Ak-Mosque was established the residence of the kalgi-sultan — the second person in the state, deputy Crimean khan on military affairs. By medieval standards it was considered a large settlement. As the Turkish traveler Evliya Celebi wrote in his notes in 1666: «There were about 1800 houses here, among which were two and three-storied, there were many trading shops, four caravanserais (hotels), five mosques…»
The building of Kebir-Jami mosque itself is a square of 7×7 meters, the walls of which were made of shell stone. Originally it was crowned with a dome, but due to many rebuildings it changed its initial appearance. It is known that in 1736 the mosque was badly damaged by fire, and in 1740 it was restored.
After Krym was annexed to the Russian Empire, the Kebir Jami Mosque remained the center of religious life of Muslims for a long time. During the Soviet period the temple ceased to function and only in the 90s it was restored. Nowadays it is a functioning mosque.