My route
Sign in
WorldAzerbaijanShekiJuma MosqueMy routeRoute

Juma Mosque, Sheki

Façade of the Juma Mosque in Sheki with arched lattice windows, men on a bench and the tall round brick minaret
Photo: Urek Meniashvili, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Free, no ticket; donations welcome
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Hours
No official hours; daytime between prayers (unofficial); Friday midday prayer is the busiest time
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
20 min
With kids
Fine with kids
When to visit
Daytime between prayers; avoid Friday around midday
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Dress code
Shoulders and knees covered, headscarf for women; shoes off in the prayer hall
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Address
39 20 Yanvar Street, at the lower end of Akhundov Avenue, Dabbagkhana quarter
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Coordinates
41.20250, 47.18122YesGo MapGoogleApple
From the fortress gate
≈ 1.7 km downhill, 20–25 min on foot; taxi about 5 min
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
From the bus station
≈ 1.4 km, about 20 min on foot or 5 min by taxi
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Payment
Visa and Mastercard work in Baku, but in Sheki carry manat cash for taxis and donations
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.

Key facts

1900–1914built in these years; a stone inscription dates the porch, a cell and the minaret to 1914
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaWikidata (1914)
28.5 mthe minaret, rebuilt from an archive photograph and finished in 1991
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaLonely Planet (≈ 28 m)
2019the mosque lies within the UNESCO site “Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace”
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
Sports schoolin Soviet times: the minaret was pulled down and the inner balcony removed for a gym
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
1988the building burned; restoration began in 1989
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
1993the Sheki Islamic Madrasa opened at the mosque
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
2 floorsmen pray downstairs, women in the upper hall
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
Stone and bricklocal limestone and fired brick, with brick patterns on the main façade
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaMonkey's Tale travel blog
Old bathhousean underground bath next door belongs to the same complex
3 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaOpenStreetMapMonkey's Tale travel blog
≈ 1.3 kmin a straight line west of the fortress gate, in the lower town
SourceWikidata and OpenStreetMap coordinates, YesGo calculation

Can tourists go inside the Juma Mosque?

Yes. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome, and there is no ticket, no booking and no guide needed. This is unofficial — the mosque publishes no visitor hours or rules. The easiest time is the early afternoon on a weekday, between the midday and afternoon prayers. On Friday around midday the whole neighbourhood comes for the main prayer of the week, and that is not the moment to look around.

The courtyard and the base of the minaret are open whenever the gate is. Take your shoes off before the prayer hall, and women should already have a scarf on. The upstairs women’s hall and the madrasa rooms around the courtyard are in daily use, so don’t wander in uninvited. The minaret cannot be climbed.

If the gate is shut, a prayer is under way or nobody is in. Wait 20–30 minutes or come back later.

Is it worth it?

Worth it if you are walking down from the Khan’s Palace anyway, or staying in the lower town. It is free, takes 20 minutes, and it is the one place in Sheki where you see everyday religious life rather than a museum — a mosque with a madrasa and an old bathhouse, still used as intended.

Don’t come expecting the painted interiors of the palace. The building is plain brick and limestone, and much of the inside was rebuilt after Soviet use and a fire. The reason to come is the tall brick minaret, the courtyard, and the story of a mosque that was a gym for decades. If you only have half a day in Sheki and dislike long walks, skip it: it is the farthest of the main sights from the fortress.

How old is the Juma Mosque in Sheki?

Just over a century. English and Russian Wikipedia both date it to 1900–1914, and a stone inscription marks 1914, when the porch, a cell and the minaret were finished. The madrasa was added later and joined to the porch. Lonely Planet and some blogs call it 18th-century; we found nothing to back that date, and it seems to come from the town’s older Khan Mosque.

After 1928, during the Soviet campaign against religion, the mosque was shut. The minaret was demolished, the building became a sports school, and the inner balcony of the prayer hall was taken out to make room for a gym. In 1988 it burned.

Restoration began in 1989. Digging uncovered the inner porch wall, which was rebuilt; blocked windows were reopened, four columns put back and the mihrab restored. The minaret was rebuilt to its old height from an archive photograph and finished in 1991. Since 2019 the mosque has been inside the UNESCO World Heritage site “Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace”.

What to see

  • The minaret — round, brick, 28.5 m, standing on its own a few metres from the mosque, with a metal tulip-shaped tip.
  • The main façade — brick patterns set into limestone and two rows of arched lattice windows.
  • The mihrab — the prayer niche facing Mecca, restored in the late 1980s.
  • The wooden minbar — a ten-step pulpit with carved lattice decoration.
  • Four columns in the prayer hall, put back during the same restoration.
  • The courtyard and madrasa — cells round the yard that now serve as classrooms.
  • The old underground bathhouse next door — part of the same complex; see it from outside, as it is unofficially closed to visitors.

How to get to the Juma Mosque

Tap a route to highlight it on the map.

Loading the map…

on footdestinationStreet view

Where are you starting from?

We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.

On foot

More tips

  1. From Baku, take an intercity bus or minibus from Baku International Bus Terminal to Sheki bus station — about 5 hours.
  2. From Sheki bus station the mosque is about 1.4 km: a 5-minute taxi, or a 20-minute walk north along Rasulzade Avenue and Akhundov Street. Ask for “Cümə məscidi”.
  3. If you are at the top, by the gate of Sheki Fortress and the Khan’s Palace, walk downhill along M. F. Akhundov Avenue.
  4. After about 10 minutes you pass the Upper Caravanserai, then the Lower Caravanserai a little further down.
  5. Keep going down the avenue almost to its lower end at 20 Yanvar Street — about 1.7 km and 20–25 minutes from the fortress in total.
  6. Look for the tall round brick minaret above the rooftops; the mosque entrance is right beside it.
  7. Take a taxi back up — about 5 minutes; the climb to the fortress is long.

Juma Mosque vs the caravanserai and the Khan’s Palace

Juma Mosqueyou are hereWorking mosque with a madrasaLower town, 20 Yanvar StreetFree≈ 20–25 min downhill≈ 20 min
Upper CaravanseraiHotel in an old Silk Road innMiddle of Akhundov AvenueCourtyard free by day≈ 10 min downhill≈ 30 min
Khan’s PalaceMuseum, the khans’ summer palaceTop of town, inside the fortressTicketInside the walls30–45 min

The mosque is the farthest from the fortress, so put it at the end of a top-to-bottom walk: palace, caravanserai, mosque — then a taxi back.

Before you go: checklist

Ready: 0 of 5

Tick what’s ready — your ticks stay in this browser.

Mosques and holy places in Sheki compared

Every place of worship in Sheki that YesGo has rated. Tap a column header to sort.

Gilahli Mosque Minaret4415 minFree33 min walk
Juma Mosqueyou are here4320 minFree—
Round Temple4030 minFree outside; museum fee not published23 min walk
Church of Kish331 h15 AZN for foreign visitors5.3 km

Sheki top to bottom: palace to mosque

The Khan’s Palace and fortress walls at the top, down the main street past the caravanserai, and the Juma Mosque at the end. Add it to your route in one tap — YesGo sets the timings and walks.

  1. Palace of the Shaki Khans45 min · 15 AZN for foreigners (unofficial)
  2. 3 min walk from the previous stopSheki Fortress40 min · Free; museums inside extra
  3. 7 min walk from the previous stopUpper Caravanserai30 min · Courtyard free (unofficial)
  4. 18 min walk from the previous stopJuma Mosqueyou are here20 min · Free

4 places · about 2 h 43 min with walks · 28 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby and on your route

Shakikhanovs' House

Sheki, Azerbaijan

30 min · 1–10 AZN (iTicket.AZ) · 13 min walk

Upper Caravanserai

Sheki, Azerbaijan

30 min · Courtyard free (unofficial) · 18 min walk

Sheki Fortress

Sheki, Azerbaijan

40 min · Free; museums inside extra · 23 min walk

Round Temple

Sheki, Azerbaijan

30 min · Free outside; museum fee not published · 23 min walk

How to do it right

  • Make the mosque the last stop: walking down from the Khan’s Palace along Akhundov Avenue is easy, walking back up is not.
  • Friday around midday the mosque is full — come another day or later in the afternoon.
  • Bring a scarf from your hotel; there may be none spare at the door.
  • If a madrasa class is on, stay out of the classrooms — the courtyard and prayer hall show you everything that matters.
  • Staying in the lower town or arriving by bus? Visit the mosque first, then take a taxi up to the fortress and walk the rest downhill.

Questions

Can non-Muslims visit the Juma Mosque in Sheki?

Yes. Entry is free and there is no ticket. Come between prayers, dressed modestly, with a headscarf for women. This is unofficial — the mosque publishes no visitor rules.

Is there a dress code?

Yes. Long trousers for men; for women a headscarf and clothes covering shoulders and knees. Shoes come off at the prayer hall door.

Is the Juma Mosque free?

Yes, there is no ticket. A small donation in manat is welcome but not required.

What are the opening hours?

There are no official visitor hours. Daytime between prayers is safest; avoid Friday around midday, when the main weekly prayer takes place.

How old is the Juma Mosque?

It was built in 1900–1914, and the minaret was rebuilt by 1991. Some guides say 18th century, but that appears to be a mix-up with Sheki’s Khan Mosque.

How tall is the minaret, and can you climb it?

It is 28.5 m tall. Visitors cannot go up; you see it from the courtyard.

How do I get to the Juma Mosque from the Khan’s Palace?

Walk downhill along Akhundov Avenue past the caravanserais — about 1.7 km, 20–25 minutes. A taxi back up takes about 5 minutes.

How long do I need?

About 20 minutes for the courtyard, minaret and prayer hall; around an hour including the walk from the fortress.

Is the mosque part of the UNESCO site?

According to English and Russian Wikipedia, yes — it lies within the World Heritage site “Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace”, inscribed in 2019.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • English Wikipedia: “Juma Mosque in Sheki”
  • Russian Wikipedia: “Джума-мечеть (Шеки)”; Wikidata Q19642597
  • Lonely Planet — “Cümə Mosque”, Şəki: minaret and dating
  • Monkey's Tale travel blog — “Discover the mountain city of Sheki”, on the mosque and the bathhouse next door
  • Advantour — Sheki tour page (Russian): the Khan (Juma) Mosque and its minaret
  • iTicket.AZ — venue “Sheki Khan Mosque Exhibition Hall”
  • OpenStreetMap — coordinates of the mosque, madrasa, bathhouse, fortress and bus station; walking route
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 02.11.2026 ·
How we checkedThe mosque has no website and publishes no visitor hours, so free entry, visiting times and the dress code are unofficial, based on general practice in Azerbaijani mosques, and marked as checking. Dating is disputed: English and Russian Wikipedia and Wikidata give 1900–1914, Lonely Planet and some blogs the 18th century, and Advantour gives 1745–1750 to a “Juma (Khan) Mosque” of which only the minaret survives — a different building. We show 1900–1914 and the dispute. UNESCO inclusion follows both Wikipedias; we did not open a UNESCO document listing the mosque by name. Wikidata and OpenStreetMap agree on the coordinates, about 1.3 km west of the fortress; distances and walking times come from an OpenStreetMap route. We left out the live prayer-times widget because it runs on Istanbul time.

Top YesGo picks: Sheki

Gilahli Mosque Minaret

Sheki, Azerbaijan

15 min · Free, viewed from outside

Sheki Old Town (Yukhari Bash)

Sheki, Azerbaijan

1 h 30 min · Free; museums on the way charge

Palace of the Shaki Khans

Sheki, Azerbaijan

45 min · 15 AZN for foreigners (unofficial)

Church of Kish

Sheki, Azerbaijan

1 h · 15 AZN for foreign visitors

All places: Sheki →