President Ilham Aliyev has reviewed progress of construction of a new building of the Gabala city mosque.

Welcoming the head of state, the Akhund of the mosque said:

Welcome, Mr. President. I am welcoming you in the name of Allah. Dear Mr. President, on behalf of all our people and all believers of Gabala, I would like to express our deep appreciation to you for giving the instruction to build this mosque in our beautiful city. Dear Mr. President, we kindly request you to take our holy book, the Koran, from us.

The Akhund presented the Holy Koran to the head of state as a sign of appreciation for the attention being paid to preserving and developing the national and spiritual values of the Azerbaijan people.

President Ilham Aliyev reviewed the photo stand reflecting the future appearance of the mosque. It was noted that the previous small building of the Gabala mosque had become completely dilapidated and the construction of the new mosque began in March 2011. A land plot of 800 square meters was allocated for the construction. The construction of the main two-storey structure, the entry stairs, a bridge and a 21.6-meter minaret has already been completed. To reinforce the minarets, foundation strengthening has been carried out at a depth of 10 meters. Work is now under way inside the building.

The President was also briefed on the landscaping work around the mosque. It was noted that most of the work had been completed o separate building on the mosque premises. It will house a library, ritual and ablution rooms, etc. The President ordered that construction be carried out in accordance with national peculiarities.

MP Fattah Heydarov said: Such mosque have been and are built. They are innumerable.

President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, they are both built and restored.

Fattah Heydarov: You are paying attention to the architecture and design of each one of them.

President Ilham Aliyev: Mosques are also built and restored in Baku, e.g. the Tazapir mosque, the Bibi-Heybat mosque. Azerbaijan’s oldest mosque is the Shamakhi mosque. Armenians once destroyed Shamakhi, set the mosque ablaze, but couldn’t destroy it completely.
Fattah Heydarov: It remained under the ground. Only a small part of it was visible. Now there is a large complex there.

President Ilham Aliyev: When I first saw the Shamakhi mosque, I said: we must restore it by all means. And not just restore – we are rebuilding it! Its historical part and the walls will remain, new minarets are built. It will have the highest minarets. This is history, isn’t it? This mosque was built in the 700s.

Fattah Heydarov: People throughout the country are grateful to you for this attention and care about national and spiritual values. May Allah help you.

President Ilham Aliyev: We must build like this, at this level – with taste, quality, in line with urban architecture and town-planning regulations. With the permission of local executive bodies, areas should be allocated in due form. Such beautiful places will live forever as religious and architectural monuments.

Fattah Heydarov: Thank you very much. I am an MP from this constituency. Believe me, people are very grateful to you because this is a center for spiritual needs. It serves the idea of Azerbaijanism.

President Ilham Aliyev: In Ganja, we are reconstructing the Imamzadeh religious and historical complex. As you know, it is an ancient place of worship. It is also being reconstructed. It will be a beautiful and magnificent place, a religious center. I also like the Akhund’s robe. I have told His Holiness Sheikh that the garment of our religious leaders should also be beautiful, of course, with due respect for the traditions inherent in our religion.

Akhund: Mr. President, we are also very grateful to you. We are glad that the centers of worship and mosques, our spiritual values, are always at the center of your attention. May Allah be pleased with you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.