Juma Mosque

     We left Baku and drove to the city of Shemakhi, which was the ancient capital of Azerbaijan. Our stop here was to visit the Juma Mosque. It was the first Muslim mosque built in the Caucasus Mountains. It was built in 743 AD. Of course, other historians say that a mosque was built in Derbent a few years before this. Either way, the Juma Mosque is a very old mosque. It's also a great example of Islamic architecture with a unique design including its beautiful domes and intricate carvings.

     The current mosque is at least the fifth or so reconstruction. The mosque has been destroyed multiple times by both wars and earthquakes. I find it interesting that we are always given the date of the original construction but this mosque today looks quite new. It's also more than just a mosque. Juma mosque is a cultural center and really a very large complex.

     I think the most interesting and also the most encouraging thing we learned about the Juma mosque is that both Shia and Sunni Muslims pray here together. I'm not sure that I've ever heard of that before on our travels.

     This next photo only shows one very small corner of the complex. It's an enclosed space but really large with many rooms.

There are parts of the previous versions of this mosque still in front of this current mosque. The metal parts are the apexes of more ancient minarets. Other more ancient parts are located in the tunnels behind the minarets.