A Brief History of the Shamakhi Juma Mosque
Needless to say, everyone knows that Shamakhi, one of the oldest cities in Azerbaijan, holds a special place in history.
Therefore, in a city with a 2000-year history, the appearance of the oldest mosque in the Caucasus shouldn't be that surprising.
It's true that others consider the Derbent Juma Mosque in the South Caucasus, Russia, to be a few years older.
But that is not the matter at the moment.
Finished in 744, Juma Mosque Shamakhi constructed during the Umayyad Caliphate's reign, by order of an early Islamic Caliph.
Namely, Caliph Walid ibn Abd al-Malik.
Throughout the Mosque's existence, there’ve been several devastations and reconstruction works over centuries owing to historical and natural factors.
Some of the factors that caused the destruction of the Juma Mosque in Shamakhi are:
11th-century – Seljuk invasion: Also rebuilt during the Seljuk, it brought Persian and Central Asian architecture.
1192 – Initial major earthquake: The magnitude’s estimated at І0 = 8 points of the 12-point MSK-64 scale. Apart from that, earthquakes in 1667, 1859, 1872 and 1902 leveled Shamakhi to the ground each time and took thousands of lives.
13th-century – Mongol invasions
17th-century – Safavid-Ottoman conflicts
1724 – Russian invasion
1918 – Armenian Dashnak attack
As you see, the most devastating destructions inflicted by the earthquakes and reconstructed many times by the famous architects like:
Gasim bey Hajibababeyov, Zivar bay Ahmadbayov and Józef Płoszko.
On May 17, 2013, the last major restoration of the Shamakhi Mosque took place.
With the preservation of all the old architectural features.
Eye-Brightening Architecture of Shamakhi Juma Mosque
Despite the fact that Juma Mosque Shamakhi's passed through dozens of hard times, it's still distinguished by its great architecture.
Like the Palace of Shaki Khans in the northeast part of Azerbaijan.
The architectural design of this masterpiece is mainly reminiscent of several early Islamic mosques.
You can feel the Umayyad style of architecture at first glance, similar to other mosques around the globe.
For example, certain similarities exist between the Córdoba Mosque-Cathedral in Spain and the Shamakhi Mosque in Azerbaijan.
Even though, there’re also tremendous differences due to regional impacts and historical contexts.
Nonetheless, as an example, I can say that both have large worship areas supported by hundreds of columns, and the primary building material is stone.
Also as a result of dividing the interior into three spaces, it bears some resemblance to the mosques and prayer halls of 11th and 12th century Central Asia.
In the ancient recollections and diaries of most travelers, like Ibn Battuta (14th century), the mosque is recounted in all its beautiful details.
Unfortunately, history’s not so kind to Juma Mosque Shamakhi.
However, today:
Not a single fragment of the ancient architectural composition's missed, and it's still indistinguishable from how it's 1,300 years ago.
It must be seen to be believed, especially if done in combination with hearing the ancient stories about it.
Old Popular Rumors about the Juma Mosque of Shamakhi
It's not surprising that there're legends about the building, which's once the biggest mosque in Azerbaijan and which's survived so many disasters.
I'd like to mention some popular rumors about the Juma Mosque of Shamakhi among locals.
Although there's no equivalent for such things today, people once embraced them.
Let’s see some of these myths.
#1. Mosque Built on a Sacred Spot in Shamakhi
According to local belief, the site of Shamakhi Juma Mosque was chosen on a sacred sign.
The story goes that one night, when the mosque was to be built, there was an unfamiliar light over the site.
Assuming it to be a divine signal, the builders were convinced by the darkness of the night to construct the mosque at the very site.
#2. Unbreakable Columns of the Mosque
There's another myth that during various invasions and earthquakes, most parts of the mosque're demolished.
However, some of its pillars always remained upright.
Yes, that’s right.
Because of this, people believe that these pillars were blessed.
They’re convinced that no matter what damage’s come to the mosque, there’ll be remnants that remain intact.
#3. Prayers That Echo Through Time
This one might be a bit scary.
It's rumored that if you pray alone inside the Shamakhi Juma Mosque at night, you can hear whispers of old prayers inside the walls.
Some claim they're the voices of the first worshippers, while others claim they're imams' ghosts from the past still guarding the mosque.
Visit Juma Mosque Shamakhi: Helpful Tips
I’d definitely recommend visiting and exploring this historic structure.
Because it’s the number one thing to do in Shamakhi.
But before visiting it, you should know these:
Juma Mosque Shamakhi is an active house of prayer.
So it's better to visit there during the non-prayer hours so that you can appreciate its beauty without interrupting the worshippers.
Visiting generally in the early morning or late afternoon will give you a more peaceful experience.
Up to the latest information available to me, there is no entry fee for tourists to see the mosque.
That is to say that you’re free to take a tour of the mosque.
Other than that, the only advice I can give you is to wish you a good and safe trip.
And one more thing: check out the pinned map to see exactly where it is.
Need help planning your Azerbaijan adventure? Then reach out to us at this number » +994 992 72 22 27.
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