Mosque W. Husainiya Imam Jfrsadq

Honouring a revered descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, the masjid and husseiniyyah of Imam Jafar al Sadiq in the village of Yayci within the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan gathers its worshippers within a historic and culturally distinctive corner of the southern Caucasus. Nakhichevan is an exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan, separated from the main body of the country by the territory of Armenia and bordering Iran and Turkey. Its ancient history reaches back to the earliest Caucasian civilisations, and its name is associated in local tradition with the patriarch Noah, peace be upon him.

Imam Jafar al Sadiq, the great grandson of the martyr Husayn bin Ali, may God be pleased with him, was one of the most respected scholars of the early Muslim community. Born in the holy city of Medina in the early second century of the hijrah, he taught the sciences of jurisprudence, hadith, and theology to students who later founded major schools of Islamic learning. Azerbaijani worshippers hold his memory in the deepest veneration, and many villages maintain houses of prayer and commemoration bearing his blessed name, especially those which combine the function of masjid with a husseiniyyah used for readings.

The building rises modestly among the vineyards and orchards typical of the fertile Aras river valley. Thick stone walls, a pitched tin roof, a small minaret beside the entrance, and a shaded porch shelter a prayer hall whose floor is covered with deep red Caucasian carpets. Local families gather here for the five daily prayers, for the long evenings of Muharram during which readings of the events of Karbala are offered alongside recitation of the Holy Qur'an, and for weddings, funerals, and the communal celebrations of the great Islamic feasts throughout the year.

On this page worshippers and travellers will find accurate daily prayer times for Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha at the Yayci masjid, along with its address, a helpful location map, and notes that assist residents of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijani families visiting their ancestral villages, researchers of Caucasian religious heritage, travellers crossing between Turkey, Iran, and the Caucasus, and pilgrims following the long trail of holy sites that stretch across this land of vineyards and ancient traditions.