The Haji Javad Mosque (Azerbaijani: Hacı Cavad Məscidi) is a mosque located in the in Yasamal District of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.[1]
History
First mosque
The first mosque was built in AH 1305 (1887/1888), located at located in 79 Abdulla Shaig Street. The building had three inscriptions which confirmed the year of construction. The initiator of mosque building was the merchant Haji Javad. The internal area was 12 m (39 ft) wide by 18 m (59 ft) long, with a height of 6 m (20 ft) from the floor to the ceiling and 9 m (30 ft) from the floor to the dome. The building also had a place for a school madrasa.
During the Soviet era, the mosque building was converted into a kindergarten and living areas. After the USSR, the collapsed mosque was repaired and opened for believers.
In April 2017, news of the announcement that the mosque would be demolished caused unrest among local Muslims[2][3] and sparked protests. The demolition, planned for April, was suspended.[4] Following investigations, the mosque was demolished on the night of 1 July 2017.[5]
Current mosque
The construction of a new mosque, per a presidential decree, located on Abbas Mirza Sharifzade Street,[6][7] started the following day and was completed on 12 April 2018. The total area of the new mosque is 1,200 m2 (13,000 sq ft), of which 400 m2 (4,300 sq ft) is for the prayer hall. The height of the building was increased to 18 m (59 ft) and the minaret is 33.7 m (111 ft) tall. Walls are decorated with ornaments and verses from the Quran.[8]
