Juma Mosque of Shamakhi

Founded In 743 And Rebuilt After Earthquakes And Soviet Era Closure, Among The Oldest Mosques In The Caucasus. The Current Building Dates To 2009 On The Site Of The 19th Century Juma Mosque. The Town Was The Shirvanshahs' Capital And A Silk Road Trading Centre. · Shamakhi, Shamakhi

The Juma Mosque of Shamakhi stands on a hill in the old Silk Road town of Shamakhi, about 120 km and two hours by road west of Baku, on the way to Sheki and Gabala. A mosque is said to have been founded here in 743, one of the first in the Caucasus, but the building you see is a modern rebuild from around 2009, after the 1902 earthquake and the Soviet closures took the older one. Do not come for ancient walls. Come for the setting, the large cream-and-green building with two tall minarets, the quiet courtyard, and the long history of Shamakhi as a capital of the Shirvanshahs. Entry is free for visitors outside prayer times, and the hill gives wide views over the valley and the roofs of the town, which is why many drivers stop here for tea. The shrines, tombs and hill views nearby make it an easy stop on a longer drive. Expect a short, calm visit rather than a long one, with dress rules to follow and Friday midday best avoided if you are not Muslim, since prayers fill the hall then.

Hilltop mosque in the Silk Road town of Shamakhi, about 120 km west of Baku, near the Shamakhi Astrophysical Observatory and the Yeddi Gumbez mausoleums, Shamakhi, Shamakhi, Azerbaijan

Open to visitors in daylight hours outside prayer times, which shift through the year, with short closures around each call to prayer. Friday midday prayers are the busiest window and non-Muslim visitors should avoid it. Entry is free. Confirm hours locally, and expect the doors to close early on religious holidays.

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