The pearl of Garabagh architecture – Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque VIDEO
Shusha, December 11, AZERTAC
The next feature in AZERTAC’s “If I Were a Tourist” column focuses on the Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque.
The Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque, also known as the Shusha Friday Mosque, is considered the oldest among the seventeen mosques in the ancient city of Shusha.
The mosque is registered as one of the renowned architectural gems of national significance.
The Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque was initially built on the initiative of Panahali Khan, concurrently with the Karabakh Khan's palace. After Ibrahimkhalil Khan’s accession to power in 1768–1769, a new stone mosque building with two minarets was erected in place of the earlier structure. In 1883–1884, a double-minaret mosque was constructed on the same site with the financial support of Ibrahimkhalil Khan’s daughter, the Azerbaijani poetess and philanthropist Govhar Agha Javanshir. For this reason, the name of the mosque is closely associated with her.
The author of the 19th-century mosque was the famous architect Kerbalayi Safikhan Garabaghi, who designed many prominent buildings in Garabagh. The ornaments of the minarets and the circular drawings in the interior rooms were created by poet, artist, and calligrapher Mir Mohsun Navvab Garabaghi, who lived and worked in Shusha.
Following Shusha’s liberation from occupation, the Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque was restored. Today, it is regarded as one of the most visited sites by both local and foreign guests traveling to Shusha.
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