en Heydar Mosque

Heydar Mosque
Heydar Mosque
Azerbaijani: Heydər Məscidi; Arabic: مسجد حيدر;
	View of mosque in 2019
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Mosque
Ownership	Religious Association of Azerbaijan
Leadership	İmam Hafiz Abbasov; Imam Akhund Rufet Garayev;
Status	Active
Location
Location	Binəqədi, Baku
Country	Azerbaijan
	Location of the mosque on the outskirts of Baku
Geographic coordinates	40°25′45″N 49°49′28″E / 40.42917°N 49.82444°E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Ədalət Məmmədov\|
Type	Mosque architecture
Style	Islamic; Shirvan-Absheron;
Funded by	Government of Azerbaijan
Groundbreaking	September 2012
Completed	2014
Specifications
Capacity	75,000 worshipers
Interior area	4,200 m2 (45,000 sq ft)
Dome(s)	Two
Dome height (outer)	55 m (180 ft); 35 m (115 ft);
Minaret(s)	Four
Minaret height	95 m (312 ft)
Site area	12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft)

The Heydar Mosque (Azerbaijani: Heydər Məscidi; Arabic: مسجد حيدر) is a mosque, located in the Binəqədi raion of Baku, in Azerbaijan. Opened on 26 December 2014, the mosque is named after Heydar Aliyev, a former President of Azerbaijan. It is the largest mosque in Azerbaijan and the Caucuses.^[1]

The Caucasian Muslim Office appointed Imam Hafiz Abbasov and Imam Akhund Rufet Garayev for the Sunni and Shia sects, respectively.^[2]

History

The order to build the Heydar Mosque was given in mid-2012 by Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, and the son of the mosque's namesake. Construction work began in September 2012 and was completed at the end of 2014. The official opening ceremony of the mosque took place on 26 December 2014. Those who took part included Ilham Aliyev, his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva, the Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the Muftis of the North Caucasus and the Mufti of Karachay-Cherkessia Ismail Berdyev, the Head of the Diocese of Baku and Azerbaijan of the Russian Orthodox Church Father Alexander, Chairman of the Baku Religious Community of Mountain Jews Melih Evdaev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Office of Muslims of the Caucasus in the Russian Federation Shafik Pshikhachev and chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade.^[3]

The Heydar Mosque operates without a religious community, and is administered by the Religious Association of Azerbaijan via the Executive Power of Baku City.^[4]

Architecture

The mosque site covers 12,000 m² (130,000 sq ft) and the internal area of the building is 4,200 m² (45,000 sq ft). Verses from the Quran are written on the side of the mosque's domes. The mosque was completed in the Shirvan-Absheron style and features four 95 m-high (312 ft) minarets and two domes, 55 m (180 ft) and 35 m (115 ft) high, respectively.^[4]