Shamakhi

Shamakhi has been affected by several heavy earthquakes during its history. The worst earthquake in 1667 claimed around 80,000 lives. The last major earthquake took place in 1902 and also damaged the Jummah Mosque. Shamakhi is located at the breaking point of three earth plates. During the Russian Empire, Shamakhi was the capital of the province of Shemakha, but only until 1859, when another earthquake hit the city and it was decided to relocate the capital to Baku.

Jummah Mosque Shamakhi

One of Shamakhi’s most popular attractions is the Jummah Mosque, built by Abu Muslim in 743. It is the oldest mosque in the entire South Caucasus region. Within a short time, the Jummah Mosque was nearly destroyed by earthquakes three times: 1859, 1887 and 1902. The last one, in particular, had damaged the historic structure so much that it had to be rebuilt between 1905 and 1910. In 2009 the mosque was reconstructed again.

The Diri Baba Mausoleum

is a mausoleum of Sheikh Diri Baba, located in Qobustan region.(on te way to Shamakhi and includes to Shamakhi tour)There is a fragment of a ligature, indicating a date – the year 1402, and also a part of the architect’s name – “…the son of ustad Haji” – in one of the squinches. Many legends and myths are connected to this place.

Diri Baba mausoleum was decorated with a mosaic and effective ligature by a calligraphist called “Dervish”.There is a unique monument – a two-stored mausoleum-mosque of the 15th century called “Diri-Baba”, located opposite an ancient cemetery – on the way from Baku to Shamakhi. For a long time, local residents believed in a legend that a sacred person called Diri Baba was buried here and remained imperishable. However, many legends and mystic events are related to this monument. That is why the mausoleum attracts many pilgrims and curious people since the 17th century.

Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum

1.5 km south of the city center there is the second attraction of Shamakhi: the Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum. It was created at the beginning of the 18th century in honor of the family of the last Khan of Shamakhi, Khan Mustafa.Three mausoleums are preserved on the grounds south of the city center until today.

Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory

Shamakhy Astrophysical Observatory is an observatory in the Caucasus Mountains in Azerbaijan. It is named after Nasreddin Tusi. It is located on the eastern slope of Pirqulu, at an elevation of 1500 m. It has 150–200 clear, cloudless nights per year. The observatory measured the light polarization of Comet d’Arrest during the Soviet period. Observations with the main instrument – a 2-meter reflecting telescope produced in Germany – started in 1966; at that time it was the first large telescope of the South Caucasus. Two-meter telescope and its devices was installed by the German company ,Carl Zeiss JENA . The primary parabolic mirror has a diameter of 2080 mm and a focal length of 9000 mm. It combines three different optical systems.

The Azerbaijani scientist Yusif Mammadaliyev played a significant role in the creation of the observatory. In 1991, the name of Nasraddin Tusi, a mathematician, physicist and astronomer of the Middle Ages, was adopted for the observatory. A settlement for employees was created below the observatory and was named after Mammadaliyev (Pirgulu). The first director of the observatory was academician Hajibey Sultanov (1960–1981). During Sultanov’s era, astrophysical observations were carried out intensively.