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Teze Pir Mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan. Taza-Pir mosque

Teze Pir mosque or Taza Pir mosque is a project by Azerbaijan’s greatest architect Ziver bey Ahmadbeyov. Project itself marked an entirely new stage in the development of Absheron religious architecture, with its extensive decoration and architectural significance. Ziver bey laid the foundation stone on 23 July 1905 on the site of a simple one-storey mosque, which had itself been preceded by an even older building, according to a 1796 plan of Baku.

LOCATION

Despite the fact that the central mosque was built some distance from the city centre, its convenient location on a hill was visible from many parts of the city and Teze Pir mosque made a magnificent silhouette on the cityscape, especially so when buildings were mainly two-storied.

The main facade of the Taza Pir mosque is a deep, three-arch portico with flanking minarets, behind which one sees the elastic line of the dome, a clean, formal composition in a symmetrical space.

Teze Pir Mosque In Baku, Azerbaijan. Taza-Pir Mosque
Teze Pir Mosque In Baku, Azerbaijan. Taza-Pir Mosque
Teze Pir Mosque In Baku, Azerbaijan. Taza-Pir Mosque
Teze Pir Mosque In Baku, Azerbaijan. Taza-Pir Mosque
Teze Pir Mosque In Baku, Azerbaijan. Taza-Pir Mosque
Teze Pir Mosque In Baku, Azerbaijan. Taza-Pir Mosque

That three-arch portico was a new feature in Ziver bey’s work; he gave a totally different interpretation to a traditional idea: it had a more upright refraction and a double-rowed stalactite cornice. The architectural composition of the portal, combined with horizontal segmentation and rich moulding, gave a different flow to national architecture.

The arched openings of the portal are also drawn in gentle manner with fine end brackets. The portal is embellished with faceted corner minarets. The architect had his own approach to the architectural composition of the Teze Pir mosque, including the main minarets into the overall three-dimensional structure, promoting both the monumentality and formality of the architecture.

Teze Pir’s minarets are no incidental part of the building. They act as both functional and constructional forms within the artistic and aesthetic setting of the urban environment. The mosque is square in plan. Its interior holds a huge octagonal prayer hall (19.6 x 19.6 metres) topped by a single-piece spherical dome on a low drum. Eight large lancet arches of local design are features of the interior, as is the extensive decoration with ornamental motifs.

The mihrab, with flanking lancet window openings, is a very interesting architectural composition in the interior. This vertically developed mihrab is quite elaborate, with decorative ornamentation. The basic architecture of the interior is formed by rectangular niches with high arches. The inner world of the mosque interior, with a huge, nearly 20-metre span, inspires deep respect for the architect who created this work.

The architectural and spatial composition of the Taza Pir mosque is clearly expressed in the enormous volume of the domed prayer hall and the complementary minarets, which together reveal the overall structure of the building.

Teze Pir mosque provided the stimulus for the construction of new mosques in Amirjan, Buzovna, Mashtagha, Binagadi, Bina, Nardaran and other areas, as well as inspiring a dimensional and planning structure with artistic content.

Source: Visions of Azerbaijan

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