Juma Mosque, Baku

Juma Mosque, Baku tickets and tours: which one to book

There is no ticket for the Juma Mosque in Baku: it is a working mosque in the Old City, entry is free, and visitors may step inside outside prayer times. A donation box stands near the entrance. A word of warning before you book anything: several day trips advertised from Baku with a stop at a Juma Mosque actually go to a different building, the great Friday mosque of Shamakhi, roughly 120 km to the west on the road to the Caucasus foothills. Those trips are long drives that combine Shamakhi with wineries, the mountain resort of Gabala and its cable car, Nohur Lake or the old silk town of Sheki and the church at Kish, with transport and a driver included and sometimes lunch and tastings.

They are worthwhile excursions, but they do not include the Baku mosque described here. The Baku Juma Mosque is best seen on foot. It lies inside Icherisheher, the walled Old City, and most walking tours of the Old City pass right by it on their way between the Maiden Tower and the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, so a guided walk with a local guide is the natural way to visit if you want the history explained. The Old City entrance and the Icherisheher metro station are both within ten minutes' walk.

Visiting Juma Mosque, Baku: what to see and how to behave

The mosque stands on Asaf Zeynalli street in the heart of Icherisheher, the medieval walled core of Baku that forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the Shirvanshahs' Palace and the Maiden Tower. A mosque has stood here since at least the 12th century, and some scholars believe it replaced an even older fire temple of the Zoroastrians. An inscription records a restoration in 1309, and in 1437, under the Shirvanshah rulers, a minaret was added on the north side. That 15th-century minaret is the oldest thing to look for: a slender stone shaft with a balcony carried on rows of carved stalactite corbels. The present prayer hall dates from 1899, when the Baku merchant and philanthropist Haji Shikhali Dadashov paid for the old building to be replaced.

It is a square hall with four columns and a small dome, and its carved stone portal blends Azerbaijani ornament and inscriptions with European classical motifs. Inside, the walls carry painted ornament, Quranic verses and the names of the five members of the Prophet's household revered in Shia Islam. Under Soviet rule the building served as a carpet museum, and it returned to worship in the 1990s; it was thoroughly restored in 2008. It is a Shia mosque, and the atmosphere is local and quiet rather than touristic. Remove your shoes at the door, dress modestly and, if you are a woman, cover your hair; avoid visiting during prayers and do not photograph worshippers. From the Icherisheher metro station, walk through the Shamakhi Gate and follow the lanes towards the Maiden Tower; the mosque is a few minutes along.

Juma Mosque, Baku: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The mosque is generally open from morning until evening, but visitors should avoid the times of the daily prayers, especially the Friday midday prayer, when the hall is full of worshippers. Morning is the best time, when the Old City lanes are calm and the light is good on the minaret and the stone facade. Late afternoon also works well, and you can continue to the Maiden Tower and the seafront promenade at sunset. Spring, from April to June, and early autumn are the most pleasant seasons in Baku.

Summers are hot, while winters are mild but the city is known for strong, cold winds off the Caspian. During the month of Muharram, and especially on Ashura, Shia mosques across the city hold mourning ceremonies, and the mosque may be busy and closed to sightseeing; during Ramadan, evenings are given over to prayer and the breaking of the fast. Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the mosque itself. Combine it with the Maiden Tower, the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the old caravanserais and the Muhammad Mosque nearby on a half-day walk through Icherisheher.