Sacred Relics

Our walk continues in the Old City of Baku, Icherisheher, which blends various cultures. By exploring Baku, one can comprehend how diverse people live and live in it, how traditions and religions intertwine, and how it affects the city. Architecture, a frozen art, is one of the main monuments of the past that continues to live with us in the present. Our focus today is on the Beyler Mosque, a work of art in the Old City.

Kurban Said declared that the mosque is the 'stone-clad soul of Asia', but our heroine is not solely connected to Asia. It is known that Islam, which came to us in the first half of the 7th century, caused the construction of religious and architectural monuments. The Beiler Mosque stands out from similar structures because of its structure and hall volume. In its construction, European constructive principles (at least identical to Cordoba Meskita) are combined with the eastern and exclusively local - Bakuvian. Even the mosque's minaret is decorated with elements typical of Western European architecture.

Let's go back to where it all started. Murtuza Mukhtarov, a Baku oil developer and philanthropist whose activities are worthy of a separate article, provided significant help in constructing the Beiler Mosque on the site of another ancient mosque in 1895. So, the "Bekskaya" mosque is the last, and therefore the most modern mosque built in Icherisheher. In 2014, the Mosque was restored by Austrian specialist Erich Pummer. Today, the Beiler Mosque is not just a temple but a museum mosque where you can see the most exciting exhibitions.

The exhibition 'Sacred Relics' is currently open. It presents ancient editions of the Koran of different eras collected from all regions of Azerbaijan. This exhibition arouses interest in the history of its exhibits. These holy books were preserved and saved at various times. Here, you can see the Koran belonging to the Derbent Mosque, which was walled up for many years at a time when the Soviet power forbade any religious attributes. Or pages of books saved from fire a century earlier. In addition to books in the exhibition and other sacred exhibits. Notably, the museum exhibits (and there are more than 70) were collected due to the voluntary transfer of holy books and religious attributes from the local population. Pay attention to the details: doors, shutters, decorated mihrab. [editor’s note Mihrb (Arab. ylor, - «direction of prayer») - a niche in the wall of the mosque, indicating the direction to Mecca. It is usually arched, decorated with ornaments and carvings. It is mentioned in the Qur'an (3:37). At the top of the mihrab are placed the Qur'anic verses (verse phrases from the Qur'an).]

It's not difficult to locate the Beyler Mosque. Just descend from the Murad gate of the Shirvanshahs Palace.