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The Kirhlyar Mosque is located south of the Kyrhlyar-Kapa gate.

The Kirhlyar Mosque is located south of the Kyrhlyar-Kapa gate.

N. Krupskaya St., 2, Derbent, Republic of Dagestan, Russia, 368600

Derbent: One of the oldest "living" cities in the world
Jermaine Jermaine

The mosque is located to the south of the Kyrkhlyar-Kapa gate, and apparently, the mosque's name originated from its location. The one-story building is rectangular in plan (18 x 10 meters), stretched from west to east. The central part of the building is covered by a pointed stone dome with a diameter of 7 meters.

The mosque is located south of the Kyrkhlyar Gate, and apparently, its name originated from its location. The one-story building is rectangular in plan (18 x 10 meters), stretched from west to east. The central part of the building is covered by a pointed stone dome with a diameter of 7 meters. The side parts (western and eastern) are covered by four hemispherical domes (two on each side). Only the central dome rises above the flat roof. All five sections formed by the domes through pointed arches rest on pilasters in the side walls and two square columns inside the building. A staircase is built into the thickness of the western wall, leading to the roof, from where, due to the absence of a minaret, the muezzin called the faithful to prayer. The mosque is illuminated by four windows at the base of the central dome and two windows on the eastern wall. The facade of the building, made of well-dressed local shell limestone, is very simple. The smooth wall, without any artistic elements, ends with a cornice. The only artistic and architectural element of the facade is the entrance portal located in the center. The mosque building is adorned with several interesting inscriptions. The inscriptions indicate that the mosque was built in the year 1036 of the Hijra (1627) by the ruler of Derbent, Karakhan-bek Suvajlu, by the order of the Persian Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty. Apparently, this is why in some written sources the mosque is called the "Shah Abbas Mosque." Another interesting fact is that the date in the inscription is indicated not only according to the Islamic calendar but also according to the Eastern calendar — "the year of the tiger." This is the only case among the numerous inscriptions in the city. The mosque building has undergone multiple restorations, as evidenced by numerous carved inscriptions in various parts of it. These inscriptions reveal that the mosque building, due to unknown circumstances (possibly earthquakes), was destroyed and then restored with donations from the faithful in the spring of 1712. The Kyrkhlyar Mosque acquired its modern appearance after reconstruction in 1748.

Source: 

https://derbentmuseum.ru/monuments/kyrhlyar-mechet/

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