OREANDA-NEWS  Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Juma Mosque in Derbent during a working trip to Dagestan, a TASS correspondent reports.

It is the oldest mosque in Russia and one of the oldest in the world. According to written sources, its construction was started by the Arab commander Maslama ibn Abdul-Malik in 733-734 AD. Three centuries-old plane trees grow in the courtyard of the mosque. In 2012, these thousand-year-old trees were recognized as natural monuments and are now protected by the state.

All the main buildings of the complex have survived to this day: the main building, the madrasah - a school attached to the mosque - and residential buildings. The length of the Juma Mosque is 68 meters, the height of the dome is 17 meters.

The mosque is an object of cultural heritage of the peoples of the Russian Federation and a UNESCO cultural heritage site. In 2019, its restoration began, which is currently ongoing.

Dagestan celebrates one of the two main holidays of Islam - Eid al-Adha (Eid al-Adha) or the feast of sacrifice, which marks the completion of the Hajj rites - a pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam in Saudi Arabia.