Sheikh Muhammad Mosque

Sheikh Muhammad Mosque is a historical mosque and architectural monument dating from the 16th century. It is located in the "Basqal" State Historical-Cultural Reserve in Azerbaijan.

Sheikh Muhammad Mosque
Azerbaijani: Şeyx Məhəmməd məscidi
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Location
LocationBasqal
CountryAzerbaijan
Architecture
Typemosque
StyleIslamic architecture
Completed1531

About

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Sheikh Muhammad Mosque was built in 1531 under the orders of Pir Muhammad, the son of Sufi Dervish Ali.[1] The mosque is located in the Kələküçə neighborhood of Basqal.[2][3] A madrasa operated in the mosque's courtyard.[4]

After the Soviet occupation in Azerbaijan, the official campaign against religion began in 1928.[5] In December of that year, the Central Committee of the Azerbaijan Communist Party transferred many mosques, churches, and synagogues to the balance of clubs for educational purposes.[6] While there were 3,000 mosques in Azerbaijan in 1917, this number dropped to 1,700 in 1927, 1,369 in 1928, and 17 in 1933.[6][7] Sheikh Muhammad Mosque was closed for worship during this period. About twenty stone inscriptions in the mosque's courtyard were destroyed, and the twin minarets were dismantled.[8] The mosque building was repurposed as a club.[9][10] In 1975, the building was completely destroyed by a fire caused by a short circuit in the electrical network. In the 1980s, local people carried out restoration work on the mosque.[11] During this work, they discovered an inscription about Pir Çinar, which was planted beside the mosque.[12] The inscription noted that Pir Çinar was planted by Sheikh Safayi in 1568.[13] In 1989, the "Basqal" State Historical-Cultural Reserve was established in the area including the mosque.[14][15]

Archaeological excavations

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In 2019, at the request of the State Tourism Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, an expedition from the Archaeology and Ethnography Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, led by Prof. Dr. Qafar Cəbiyev, conducted archaeological research inside and in the courtyard of Sheikh Muhammad Mosque.[9] Inside the mosque, remains of a smaller, square-shaped mosque in the style of Shirvanshahs period Islamic architecture were uncovered[16]. Several inscriptions were also discovered during the excavation.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Əliyeva, Həbibə; Xəlilli, Fariz (2019). Basqal epiqrafikası. I kitab-albom (in Azerbaijani). Vol. I. Bakı: Elm və təhsil nəşriyyatı. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  2. ^ Babayev, Tofiq; Şahbazov, Tahir (2017). Basqal: tarixi-etnoqrafik tədqiqat (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Elmin İnkişafı Fondu. p. 140. ISBN 978-9952-516-04-3. Archived from the original on 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  3. ^ Azərbaycan Respublikası Məscidlərinin Ensiklopediyası (PDF) (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Beynəlxalq Əlhuda. 2001. p. 146. ISBN 964-8121-59-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-23.
  4. ^ Babayev, Tofiq; Şahbazov, Tahir (2017). Basqal: tarixi-etnoqrafik tədqiqat (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Elmin İnkişafı Fondu. p. 141. ISBN 978-9952-516-04-3. Archived from the original on 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  5. ^ Yunusov, Arif (2004). Azərbaycanda İslam (PDF) (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Zaman. p. 140. ISBN 9952-8052-2-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  6. ^ a b Yunusov, Arif (2004). Azərbaycanda İslam (PDF) (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Zaman. p. 141. ISBN 9952-8052-2-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
  7. ^ Ələsgərova, Nəsrin (2005-01-15). "Ислам в Азербайджане: история и современность | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Tbilisi – South Caucasus Region". ge.boell.org (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  8. ^ Babayev, Tofiq; Şahbazov, Tahir (2017). Basqal: tarixi-etnoqrafik tədqiqat (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Elmin İnkişafı Fondu. p. 141. ISBN 978-9952-516-04-3. Archived from the original on 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  9. ^ a b c Ağayev, Adil (2019-11-03). "Basqalda arxeoloji tədqiqatlar davam edir". Azərtac. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  10. ^ Cəbiyev, Qafar (2019-11-16). "Basqalın tarixinə dair yeni arxeoloji tapıntılar". Xalq qəzeti. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  11. ^ Babayev, Tofiq; Şahbazov, Tahir (2017). Basqal: tarixi-etnoqrafik tədqiqat (in Azerbaijani). Bakı: Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Elmin İnkişafı Fondu. p. 142. ISBN 978-9952-516-04-3. Archived from the original on 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  12. ^ Əliyeva, Həbibə; Xəlilli, Fariz (2019). Basqal epiqrafikası. I kitab-albom (in Azerbaijani). Vol. I. Bakı: Elm və təhsil nəşriyyatı. p. 12. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  13. ^ "500 ildən artıq yaşı və dünyada kitabəsi olan yeganə tarixi çinar ağacı". shimal.news. 2023-12-17. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  14. ^ ""Basqal" Dövlət Tarix-Mədəniyyət Qoruğuna mediatur təşkil edilib". medeniyyet.az (in Azerbaijani). 2022-08-14. Archived from the original on 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  15. ^ ""Basqal" Dövlət Tarix-Mədəniyyət Qoruğu". www.heritage.org.az. Archived from the original on 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  16. ^ Əliyeva, Həbibə; Xəlilli, Fariz (2019). Basqal epiqrafikası. I kitab-albom (in Azerbaijani). Vol. I. Bakı: Elm və təhsil nəşriyyatı. p. 4. Archived from the original on 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-09.