Juma Mosque

The Juma Mosque is the most architecturally distinctive building in Quba, an octagonal red-brick structure built in 1802 that rises from the city centre near the main square. Inside, a single domed hall 16 metres in diameter is supported without interior columns — an impressive structural solution for its period. The exterior, with its faceted cylindrical form, looks quite different from the domed mosques of the South Caucasus and reflects the particular taste of the late Quba Khanate.

The mosque is still in active use. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times; dress modestly and remove shoes at the door. The interior is calm and the acoustic under the dome is worth a moment of quiet.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The mosque was built in 1802 with funds provided by Gazi Ismail Efendi during the brief window when Quba was still an autonomous khanate. Within four years Quba was under Russian rule, and the mosque became one of the few major buildings from the khanate period to survive intact. Its octagonal plan — unusual for the Caucasus — may reflect Persian architectural influence from the pre-Russian era.