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Top 10 Amazing Facts about Diri Baba Mausoleum
Diri Baba’s mausoleum is a well-known pilgrimage site located between Baku and Shamakhi in Azerbaijan. It is situated on the road that connects Baku with Shamakh in front of an antique cemetery.
The local legend tells that a sacred character, Diri Baba, was buried here and his body has been preserved, without any shape of decomposition or change. Many other legends and mystical details are connected with this landmark. The landmark has been a major attraction to pilgrims and curious visitors since the 17th century.
Here are the top amazing facts about Diri Baba Mausoleum.
1. It is Diri Baba’s Burial Site
Diri-baba mausoleum is one of the prominent tombs built in the medieval period of Azerbaijan. This tomb has always attracted the attention of those who come here.
The tomb has two floors. The lower floor consists of a pair of rooms with double-glazed windows and doors. It can be assumed that the attendant of the tomb lives here.
It has attracted the attention of travelers and architects who have Azerbaijan since the 17th- centuries, due to its extraordinary appearance and plan structure, which is significantly different from other tombs of Azerbaijan.
2. The Mausoleum Built inside a Rock
Photo by Interface from Wikimedia
This monument, which looks like a huge eagle’s nest built in the rock, is built of white limestone and has a strange, unusual, and charming architectural beauty. To get to the shrine, one had to cross a ravine and climb up a straight wall.
In order to place the monument, the architect opened an artificial cave in the rock on the edge of the valley and the monument was built inside it. That is why the monument has only one facade, and the other sides are inside the rock.
3. Diri Baba Mausoleum is used as a Mosque
Photo by Sultan 11 from Wikimedia
Diri Baba Mausoleum is the two-storeyed mosque of the 15th century. For a long time, local residents believed in a legend that a sacred person called Diri Baba was buried here and remained imperishable for a very long time.
The mosque is a beautiful piece of architecture with the purity of lines on the background of the rough dark rock. The light and smooth surface of its walls look solemn. It is remarkable that the main floor of this structure is the second one. In front of the main hall, there is an anteroom covered with an octahedral.
There the visitors took off their hoes. From the anteroom, you get to a semi-dark staircase leading to the second floor of the tomb. The 15 sq m hall is covered with a spherical dome. On the wall cut in stone is the memorial mentioning Sheikh Ibragim I.
4. It was built by the son of Master Haji
An inscription engraved in the vaulted hall states that the mausoleum was built by the son of master Haji. The connection of the solution of the space in the tomb with plastic forms to the beautiful scenic nature, the correct arrangement of the internal space spaces, the found proportions of the internal volumes, and the beauty of the decorative carvings are particularly noteworthy.
The “Diribaba” tomb, located in the former Meraza settlement in the Gobustan region, has always attracted the attention of foreign tourists due to its unique architectural style.
5. Diri Baba Mausoleum is a Tourist Destination
Photo by Ludvig 14 from Wikimedia
Diri Baba mausoleum is a popular tourist destination, and it attracts many local and foreign visitors from different countries around the world. A visit to the tomb is included in the tour packages and cultural heritage tours of various tourism companies in Azerbaijan.
The monument was last restored in the 1970s, however, and there is a plan for more fundamental restoration in the near future. According to Fazil Mammadov, the head of the Department of Cultural Heritage there are also plans to carry out serious scientific research on the monument.
6. It is a Holy Site
Diri Baba” is a holy place and all the people of Shirvan have worshiped this place for centuries. Interesting stories are told about the history of the name of the monument. Thus, it is mentioned that the person buried in this tomb is Sufi Sheikh Baba.
According to one of the narrations, the Sheikh spent the last days of his life retreating to a cell and worshiping. While reading divine words from the holy book in his cell, he joined the world of truth, but his disciples learned of his death a few days later.
Another story told by the old residents of the town, in 1918, when the Armenians committed massacres in the region, three women with a baby in their arms hid in Diri Baba’s tomb as a place of last hope. Although the Armenians chased them, they could not find them inside the tomb, or rather, did not see them and returned.
7. Visit Heydar Aliyev Park
After visiting the Diri Baba mausoleum, you can take a rest in Heydar Aliyev Park which is located nearby. It is the largest park in the area with water fountains, decorated garden plots, and an amphitheater.
The park contains more than 350 thousand trees and decorative plants, including Oriental plane, pine, spruce, tilia, and fruit trees. It also hosts statues and monuments of outstanding Azerbaijani poets, writers, and public figures, including statues of Nizami Ganjavi, Mahsati Ganjavi, Mirza Shafi Vazeh, and Samad Vurghun.
8. The Mausoleum is Protected by the Government
Photo by Shafa Movsumov from Wikimedia
The architecture of the Diri Baba mausoleum harmonically fits into the picturesque surroundings of the building.
It is a masterpiece of the architectural school of Shirvan and beautiful creation of the arts of ancient masters. The monument is protected by the government.
9. Discover Gobustan Rock Art
Another major attraction near the Diri baba mausoleum worth visiting is Gobustan rock art. The carvings on the rocks illustrate primitive men, ritual dances, men with lances in their hands, animals, bullfights, camel caravans, and pictures of the sun and stars.
The Cultural Landscape that it carves goes back 5000 – 20,000 years back. It represents the history of humanity from the Middle Ages in Eurasia.
It was declared a State Historical Artistic Preserve in 1996 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.
10. How to get to Diri baba mausoleum
There is no direct connection from Baku to Diri Baba Mausoleum. However, you can take a taxi direct to Diri Baba Mausoleum. Alternatively, you can take the train to Yashma and then take the taxi to Diri Baba Mausoleum.
Train: Azerbaijan Railways
Address: GWMR+2RJ, Qobustan 5600, Azerbaijan
Hours:10am – 8pm
