Given the Islamic faith's deep roots in Tatarstan, it's not surprising that the regional capital, Kazan, boasts a number of historic and iconic mosques, such as Iske Tash and Al-Marzhdani.
One of the city's most interesting Muslim places of worship, however, can be found in the blue-collar Kirovsky district, some 20 minutes' drive from the center.
Built in 1910, the Rajab is Kazan's oldest wooden mosque and boasts a long and eventful history, including a fire, the Bolshevik execution of its first imam, and forced closure by the Soviets in the 1930s.
After being used for many years as a communist boarding house, it was finally returned to the Muslim community in 1993 and still serves the Islamic faithful to this day.
But despite surviving everything the turbulent 20th century could throw at it, the mosque now faces what is perhaps its biggest challenge yet.
After decades of official neglect, it is now in a sad state of repair and requires considerable investment for its future to be secured.
The mosque's current imam, Minnavkhat Sagirov, is responsible for keeping the building up and running.
Given the current dilapidated state of the Rajab's facilities, it's often a Herculean task to ensure it's kept in good order, so that it can cater for those who still regularly come to worship.
Sagirov is helped in his efforts by a small but loyal congregation, some of whom have been coming for decades.
On the night RFE/RL recently visited for sunset prayers during Ramadan, about a dozen men from the local tight-knit Muslim community had come to worship.
Some regular attendees actually left the area years ago, but show their loyalty to the old temple by still frequently coming to worship at the Rajab mosque from other parts of the city.
On this occasion, some women who were not parishioners also arrived for evening prayers, causing momentary confusion. Traditionally, men and women pray separately in Islam and, given the mosque's threadbare facilities, it was a while before a makeshift prayer room could be made ready for them.
In the meantime, they quickly made friends with a popular member of the local community.
Even though the Rajab mosque is in poor condition, the local congregation has done sterling work to preserve its history, and the building resonates with little details that reveal its rich and varied past.
The Rajab's facilities are still so basic it doesn't have a kitchen to prepare iftar -- the evening feast Muslims traditionally share to break their daytime fast after sunset prayers during Ramadan, which is due to end on May 12.
Nonetheless, the Rajab's congregants can still observe the custom on-site, thanks to another mosque in Kazan that delivers the evening repast to all Muslim places of worship in the region that don't have the wherewithal to prepare it themselves.
If Sagirov and his community get their way, the mosque may one day be able to prepare its own iftar meals. Plans have already been drawn up to completely overhaul the facility, including the construction of a new minaret, kitchen, and bathrooms.
It's a costly business, however, and despite the Rajab's precarious tumbledown state, the revamp won't happen anytime soon unless more funds can be raised.
Although only a small fraction of the 32 million rubles ($432,000) needed to fully restore the mosque has so far been collected, the congregation hopes that enough donors will eventually be found to ensure that the Rajab can stand tall for generations to come.
