Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited the Juma Mosque in Shamakhi region, the AzerTaj state news agency reported.
The head of state was informed that the Mosque, the second oldest religious center in the South Caucasus, was built in 743. The mosque hit by a strong earthquake in 1859 was restored later.
The mosque damaged by the second quake in 1902 was restored owing to the project of the first Azerbaijani educated architect Zivar bay Ahmadbayov and polish engineer Iosif Ploshko.
In 1918, Armenian dashnaks committed massacre in the Juma Mosque by burning 1800 local residents - children, women and the old. During the 70-80s, the repair work was carried out in the mosque, where madrasahs, cells and tombs were discovered.
The mosque will be restored as a part of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation`s project "Azerbaijan- home to tolerance".