Hazrat Ali, and was no­ted and loved for his clean conscience.

German church

It is one of the most beautiful monu­ments of architecture in Ganja. The Ger­man émigrés resettled by the tsarist go­vernment in Ganjabasar built the church mainly from tufa. After its handover to the Orthodox Church in 1915, it was cal­led the Alexander Nevskiy Church. The building now houses the Ganja State Puppet Theatre.

Shahsevan Mosque

This mosque, which was known as the Khazina library under the Soviets, was built by two Iranian workmen at the ex­pense of the local people in 1880. It is an ancient sample of oriental architectu­re. This building was in fact constructed on top of an Albanian historical monu­ment which belongs to the pre-Islamic period. In the early days of Islam, the temple operated asa centre inviting to Islam. Under Caliph Umar ibn Khattab, its scope of operation was even broa­der. As a result of Islamic propaganda in Azerbaijan, some Albanians adopted Is­lam. At that time, local Albanians rebuilt the Christian temple and turned it into a mosque. It used to have a five or six meter high roof.

Shah Abbas Square

The Safavid ruler Shah Abbas (1557- 1628) seized Ganja in 1606. After his as­cent to the throne in 1587, he did a lot of work to expand, strengthen and deve­lop the country. At the same time, Shah Abbas, who was a very cruel ruler, took brutal steps to maintain his power and even killed his loved ones and his son for the sake of power. Shah Abbas Square in the city centre