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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Derbent Juma Mosque is the oldest mosque not only in Russia, but also in the CIS countries. For Dagestan, the Juma Mosque is of particular importance: built in 734, it became the center of the spread of Islam in Dagestan. Like the Naryn-Kala Fortress, it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and is classified as a cultural heritage site of the peoples of the Russian Federation. Today it can be viewed during a walk through the Old district of Derbent, it is open to tourists. Its inspection is included in all sightseeing routes around the city, so there are always a lot of tourists here.
During its existence, the mosque has changed its appearance many times. The building was destroyed by an earthquake and rebuilt, rebuilt, reconstructed. For a short period during the Soviet period from 1938 to 1943, it became a place of detention for prisoners, but in 1943 it was reopened, and remains so to this day. Its present appearance has been preserved in the form in which it was by the end of the XIV century.
The Juma Mosque complex includes the mosque itself, madrassas and residential buildings. In front of the main entrance in the courtyard of the complex there is a shady garden where you can relax under the centuries-old plane trees, which are about 300 years old. They themselves are the object of attention and are protected as natural monuments. Fountains for ablution are equipped for believers, there is a drinking fountain, toilets, souvenir shops near the entrance.
The old mosque building itself has a rectangular shape, stretched from east to west. The height of the dome is 17 meters, but it is almost invisible from the side. According to some reports, the mosque was erected on the site of a Christian temple, as evidenced by its internal vaults, consisting of three-nave vaults separated by two rows of columns, which was typical of early Christian basilicas. In our opinion, it is the interior of the mosque that is of the greatest interest, so we advise you not to limit yourself to inspecting the interior and courtyard, but to go inside. Just do not forget that this is not just a tourist attraction, but also a functioning mosque, and therefore, when visiting, you should behave modestly and with respect for the faith. When visiting, women at the entrance to the complex will be given a long robe covering their arms, legs and head, and men, if you are wearing shorts, will be given a long skirt-cape. When entering directly into the mosque, you need to take off your shoes.
Here you will be offered to take a small tour of the mosque for an additional fee (1500 USD), but this is not necessary. If you are not ready to pay such a considerable amount for a half-hour walk, then you can politely refuse, it is perceived quite adequately and without complaints.
🕐 Working hours
From 08:00 to 17:00. During lunch prayers from 11:30 to 12:30, entry to the mosque is prohibited for tourists.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge, optional excursion 1500 rubles per group.
🚶 How to get there
The Juma Mosque is located in the old town at 10 7th Magal Street (Juma mosque on the map). If you purchase a sightseeing tour of the city or an excursion to the fortress, then you will probably be brought here for a few minutes and will take a walk around the courtyard in a large group. Moreover, it is not always possible to enter the mosque building directly during such excursions.
To explore everything in a more relaxed atmosphere, it is better to come here on your own. It's not at all difficult to do this, but it's better to go by taxi or public transport, because you're unlikely to find a parking space for a private car here. A taxi ride here will cost from 100 rubles, Yandex.Money and Uber work.
On city minibuses #11 and No.6 you can get to the stops "Orta-kapy" or "Kyrkhlar-kapy" for 27 rubles, and then a few minutes on foot.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Makhachkala with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: