The Keygubad Mosque (; ) is a historical former

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, now in partial ruins, located on Gala turn in the Old City of

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. The 14th century former mosque is on the south side of the mausoleum of Seyid Yahya Bakuvi. The Keygubad Mosque forms part of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

-listed

Palace of the Shirvanshahs The Palace of the Shirvanshahs (, ) is a 15th-century palace built by the Shirvanshahs and described by UNESCO as "one of the pearls of Azerbaijan's architecture". It is located in the Inner City of Baku, Azerbaijan and, together with the Maiden ...

History

The precise history and function of the building is controversial. Historically, Keygubad mosque was a building of mosque-madrasa which was adjacent to Darvish tomb.

Abbasgulu Bakikhanov Abbasgulu agha Bakikhanov () (, – January 1847), Abbas Qoli Bakikhanov, or Abbas-Qoli ibn Mirza Mohammad (Taghi) Khan Badkubi was an Azerbaijani writer, historian, journalist, linguist, poet and philosopher. He was son of the third khan of Baku ...

wrote about Bakuvi on his teaching and worshipping in the mosque: Shirvanshah Keyqubad I was in power in 1317–48. According to prominent researcher, S. Ashurbeyli, Keyqubad was grandfather of Sheikh Ibrahim. During 1918 events the mosque was burnt by Armenian troops. In the southern part of the lower courtyard of the Shirvanshahs Palace, only the remains of the foundation and a few arches of Keygubad mosque are left.

Architectural features

The mosque consists of a rectangle worshipping hall and a corridor in front of it. Originally on the center of the hall, there used to be 4 columns to hold the dome. A

portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...

was adjacent to the hall along with vestibule. On the southern wall of the hall there used to be a

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...

. Together with the mausoleum and the Keygubad Mosque, the middle courtyard occupies a neutral position in the Shirvanshahs' palace complex due to its location.

Gallery

План старой мечети г. Баку.jpg, Floor plan Разрез старой мечети г. Баку.jpg, Cross section Старая мечеть в г. Баку.jpg, Side view Ханский Дворец в г. Баку.jpg, View of the mosque before its destruction

References

Bibliography

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External links