Extensive reconstruction of the Bibi-Heybat Mosque
The Bibi-Heybat Mosque was originally constructed by Shirvanshah Farrukhzad II. An inscription on the mosque’s portal indicates that it was built in 1281–1282 by architect Mahmud ibn Said under the order of Farrukhzad ibn Aksitan II ibn Fariburz III.
In the 19th century, researcher B.Dorn documented copies of royal decrees related to the mosque issued by Safavid rulers Shah Tahmasp I, Shah Abbas I, and Shah Huseyn at various times. The renowned French writer Alexandre Dumas, who visited Baku in 1858, was also impressed by the mosque and wrote about it in his travel notes.
The Bibi-Heybat Shrine faced repression in the early Soviet years and was completely destroyed in 1934. On July 23, 1997, on the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, National Leader Heydar Aliyev laid the foundation for a new mosque complex on the site. A year later, on July 12, 1998, again on the Prophet’s birthday, he attended the opening ceremony of the newly constructed mosque.
Under the initiative and care of President Ilham Aliyev, the expansion and reconstruction of the Bibi-Heybat Mosque complex continued. Exactly ten years after the opening of the main building, on July 12, 2008, the comprehensive reconstruction and renovation were completed, and the mosque was reopened as an integrated complex.
The mosque can accommodate approximately three thousand worshippers at a time. Its architecture features intricate ornamental designs on the first and second floors, the central hall, the ceiling of the foyer, and the walls of the basement. The mosque’s dome is elaborately decorated, with verses from the Quran written in smalt and colorful glass materials.