"The Mahrasa temple"
The Mahrasa temple is located in the village of Soyudlu, Gadabay district, in the area of urban ruins around the Shamkir river.
The construction date of the temple is attributed to the IV century. The monument was first associated with fire worship, and later it functioned as an Albanian Christian temple. At certain times, Armenians tried to describe this temple as their church.
The name of the temple is believed to be derived from the Persian and Turkish words “mah” which means “moon” and “rasad” which is the name of the place where celestial bodies are observed. There are monuments named “mahrasa” in Ganja, Kalbajar and other areas of Azerbaijan.
A number of traces of fire worship were found in the petroglyphs in the temple, including Albanian Christian graves and a stone tablet with a cross on it.
