Məhəmməd Hənəfiyyə məscidi

Muhammad Hanefi Mosque — a mosque built in the village of Erçivan of Astara district. By the decision No. 132 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated 2 August 2001, the mosque was included in the list of locally significant immovable historical and cultural monuments.

About

Muhammad Hanefi Mosque was built in the 19th century in the village of Erçivan. According to the villagers, the foundation of this mosque was laid in the 15th century and Shah Ismail Khatai performed prayer in this mosque while passing through Astara during the Shirvan campaign in August 1499. Later, the mosque suffered damage in various years. The currently existing mosque was built in the 19th century on the core of the ruined mosque.

The core of the mosque is excavated not towards the qibla but in the opposite direction. Its walls are made of baked bricks, the floor of red bricks, and the ceiling of wood. The mosque consists of two parts so that men and women can worship separately. On the roof of the building a minaret 3 meters high was erected for the call to prayer. The mihrab has a simple shape and is 3 meters high. In the courtyard of the mosque there is a historic cemetery.

The mosque was set on fire in 1917.

After the Soviet occupation, Azerbaijan officially began a struggle against religion in 1928. Many mosques, churches and synagogues were handed over to clubs for educational purposes. If there were 3,000 mosques in Azerbaijan in 1917, the number was 1,700 in 1927, 1,369 in 1928, and 17 in 1933. Muhammad Hanefi Mosque also ceased its activity during this period. The mosque’s imam, Ayatollah Sheikh Mohsun, was shot in his own courtyard without trial. In later years the mosque building was used as a farm storehouse, library, club and museum.

Restoration work was carried out on the mosque in the 1980s. The mosque’s pulpit is made of wood and was repaired in 1984–1985.

After the restoration of Azerbaijan's independence, the mosque was handed over for use by the faithful. On 2 August 2001, by decision No. 132 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the mosque was included in the list of locally significant immovable historical and cultural monuments.