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Islamic Architecture

The Muslim conquest of Caucasian Albania and Atropatena (a state that originally appeared in South Azerbaijan following the collapse of Alexander Macedon’s empire in 323 B.C.E.) by 705 C.E. transformed ancient Azerbaijan, both culturally and architecturally. The majority of Caucasian Albanians and Atropatenians became Muslim and thus gave rise to the modern Azerbaijani nation. Azerbaijani cities adopted new Islamic styles of architecture that would dominate the landscape for over a millennium. Scholars have identified two principal schools of Azerbaijani architecture in the early Islamic period, as follows: the Nakhchivan School and the Shirvan School.
Bibi-Heybat Mosque
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Bibi-Heybat Mosque,
located on the outskirts of Baku

The Bibi-Heybat Mosque was restored in 1998, a re-creation of the mosque built in 1281 by Shirvanshah Farrukhzad II Ibn Ahsitan II, destroyed on Stalin’s orders by the Bolsheviks in 1936. The Bibi-Heybat Mosque is an example of the Shirvan School of Azerbaijani architecture.


AZERBAIJANI Architecture

Old City BakuModern Azerbaijan is both a dynamic, progressive nation and an ancient civilization with vibrant traditions and culture. Nowhere is this combination of old and new more evident than in Azerbaijan’s built environment. For example, the architecture of Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku, beautifully showcases this legacy. While Baku’s office buildings, apartment complexes, and glass skyscrapers mirror modern European design, ”Old City” Baku, known as  Icheri sheher,  features medieval Islamic domes, minarets, and ancient stone walls.

Azerbaijani Radio Hour


The Voice of the Karabakh Foundation, October 2, 2011. Access any of the shows of the Azerbaijani Radio Hour: The Voice of the Karabakh Foundation at www.KarabakhFoundation.org.