Ardabil mosque

Ardabil Mosque — a 19th‑century mosque located at 113 Fatali Khan Street in the city of Quba. After the Soviet occupation the mosque was used as a grain warehouse and archive. Following a fire in the building it remained unused for a period. After the restoration of Azerbaijan’s independence it was renovated. It is currently open for worship.

About

Ardabil Mosque is situated at the intersection of Fatali Khan, Ardabil and Shah Ismayil Khatai streets.

The inscription on the southern façade states that the mosque was built in the year 1312 of the Hijri‑Qamari calendar — AD 1894–1895, although it is known that the site had previously been used as a place of worship. According to a brief description compiled in August 1859, an old mosque belonging to the Shiite sect already existed there at that time. That mosque is described as “a building with a few steps remaining to reach the Baku gates, a thin wooden roof, a large rectangular body, and a roof shaped like a truncated pyramid.” In its centre, a “delicate wooden minaret adorned with various patterns” is said to have risen.

The mosque, consisting of a large hall, is built of fired brick. The total interior area of the mosque is 13 × 15 metres. In the plan the square monument ends with a tent‑like covering. The prayer hall’s plan is rectangular. The “Ardabil” mosque building is constructed entirely of fired red brick. The mosque consists of a large hall. The structure is a four‑sided prism, with 9 windows and 1 door. Its ceiling is rectangular in shape and made of wood. The ceiling rests on four wooden columns. The prayer hall is divided into three sections by two rows of columns, each row containing 2 columns. The mihrab’s height is 2.5 metres. The pulpit has 9 steps and is made of pine wood. The women’s section of the mosque is located on the second floor. Its area is 3 × 15 metres. The height from the ground to the mosque’s dome is 12 metres.

After the Soviet occupation, the mosque building was used as a warehouse and archive building. In the 1980s, the mosque building burned as a result of an accident in an electric line. After Azerbaijan gained independence, the mosque was renovated. Later, auxiliary rooms were built by people, a separate place was constructed to receive donations, and a fence was erected around the mosque. Currently the mosque is open for worship.