Among the documents collected by the EIC, and a photograph taken by a member of the commission, Belarusian photographer Lev Dashkeevich, was a photograph of the Juma mosque in Shamakha, which dates back to the 8th century. Historical and cultural monument of the people of Azerbaijan, “Juma” mosque was recognized as one of the oldest Muslim temples not only in the South Caucasus, but also in the Middle East.
Mosque destroyed during earthquake in Shamakhi and which was rebuilt several times, was seriously damaged during the 1918 genocide in Shamakhi. So, during the March genocide in Baku, representatives of the Dashnaktsutyun party in Shamakhi, led by Stepan Lalayan, launched genocide against the peaceful Muslim population, during which Armenian Dashnaks burnt the Juma mosque together with 1800 civilians, including women , children and the elderly. Numerous rare manuscripts and books were destroyed during the fire. Traces of this fire committed by the Armenian Dashnaks can still be seen on some walls of the mosque.
In 2009, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on the overhaul of this important historical and architectural monument, and in 2013, after reconstruction, it was inaugurated. Today this historical place serves as a mosque.
