Sheikh Baba Mosque

Sheikh Baba Mosque in Maragheh, East Azerbaijan Province, is one of the important historical mosques of the region. Dating back to the 8th and 9th centuries AH, it is part of the region's Islamic architectural heritage. Its stone column, now kept in the Maragheh Museum, is registered on Iran's National Heritage list.

Over time, the mosque has lost its original form and structure. The complex includes sections such as a prayer hall (shabestan), a madrasa and a courtyard, which show that the building served several purposes in the past. One of the mosque's most distinctive features is a cylindrical stone column known as the "Ipilik Column", carved from 20 round pieces of stone stacked on top of one another and standing about 5 metres high. At the top of the column is an inscription in thuluth calligraphy dated 864 AH, which mentions the name of the mosque's founder and the Sheikhs of Baba. On either side of the mosque's mihrab are two tall, carved marble gravestones, one belonging to an emir or champion (pahlavan) and the other to the grave of Sheikh Golayi.

To reach Sheikh Baba Mosque, visitors can head from the centre of Maragheh towards South Khajeh Nasir Street, and can easily find this historic building by following city signposts or online maps. The best time to visit is usually spring or autumn, when the weather is mild and the sunlight makes the architectural details easier to see. When visiting this historic site, please show respect for the sacred building and avoid entering unstable parts of the column or other fragile areas, as some sections date back to ancient times.