Heydar Mosque
The Heydar Mosque is a mosque, located in the Binəqədi raion of Baku, in Azerbaijan. Opened on 26 December 2014, the mosque is named after Heydar Aliyev, a former President of Azerbaijan. It is the largest mosque in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus.
The Caucasian Muslim Office appointed Imam Hafiz Abbasov and Imam Akhund Rufet Garayev for the Sunni and Shia sects, respectively.
History
The order to build the Heydar Mosque was given in mid-2012 by Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, and the son of the mosque's namesake. Construction work began in September 2012 and was completed at the end of 2014. The official opening ceremony of the mosque took place on 26 December 2014. Those who took part included Ilham Aliyev, his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva, the Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the Muftis of the North Caucasus and the Mufti of Karachay-Cherkessia Ismail Berdyev, the Head of the Diocese of Baku and Azerbaijan of the Russian Orthodox Church Father Alexander, Chairman of the Baku Religious Community of Mountain Jews Melih Evdaev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Office of Muslims of the Caucasus in the Russian Federation Shafik Pshikhachev and chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade.The Heydar Mosque operates without a religious community, and is administered by the Religious Association of Azerbaijan via the Executive Power of Baku City.