Karim Khan of the Zand Dynasty chose Shiraz as his capital and that changed the importance of the city drastically. The construct that were made in this time and by the order of the Just ruler was titled as Vakil since Karim Khan was known as Vakil Ol Ra’aya meaning deputy of the people. These constructs included mosque, bathhouse, bazar, water reservoir and many other similar public structures.

The Vakil mosque, one of the many constructs made in that time is located in the Darb Shazdeh neighborhood, Taleghani Street. It has a square plan about 60×60 m with a magnificent portal entrance with an inscription that mentions the name of Fath Ali Shah and Hossein Mirza of the Qajar Dynasty in a Sols Style.

The mosque has a 4-Iwan plan; the Northern Iwan has a vaulted Arch known as Tagh-e Morvarid (Pearl Arch) and adorned with Haft Rang (7color) Tiles.

The Mosque’s Shabistan or Praying Hall has 48 round twisted pillars that are carrying the domed arches of the place. Mihrab of Vakil Mosque is covered with tiles and the Menbar is made of Marble. There are also some Moaragh (Inlayed) Tile with floral patterns and Arabesque designs and numerous inscriptions that were mostly made in Qajar time.

The Vakil Bazar was later added to the Mosque having a Cross-like pattern and then the Vakil Bathhouse and Water Reservoir was added to the complex. For about 10 years, Vakil mosque was used as the congregational or Jam-e mosque of Shiraz. The magnificent mosque has been registered as a National Heritage in 1932.

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Photo by Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Vakil Bath House is part of a complex that were all made in Zand Era and by the order of the Just Ruler, Karim Khan Zand. For all his services and for being a very reliable ruler, he came to be titled “Deputy of the Subjects” or “Vakil Al Ra’aya”. The structures built by him were called Vakil after the great man that ordered their construction. Vakil Bath House was built on a land with an area of about 1350 m², it has different sections such as Sarbineh (the octagonal room after the enterance), Garmkhaneh (the main section where the bathing takes place) and Khazineh (the hot water source). The Sarbineh has a ceiling filled with religious fresco painted over stucco and lime. The paintings include:

• The Ascension of the Prophet of Islam Muhammad The portrait of Imam Ali,
• the first Shiite Imam with his famous sword Zolfaghar.
• The story of Shirin and Farhad story who are two fictional lovers like Romeo & Joliet with the same tragic ending.
• The story of Bijan and Manijeh story another fictional lover.
• The story of Josef and his brothers who cast him away.
• The story of Abraham and Ishmael,
• The story of Sheikh Sanan and the Christian Maiden
• The story of the Old Woman and Sultan Sanjar

The main section of the Bath House has four one-piece stone pillars and arched roof, with small windows on the ceiling used for air conditioning and providing the light. In this Bath House, Khazineh has a warm-water pool, cold-water pool and mild-water pool. This beautiful Bath House is now a tourist attraction of Shiraz located in an area next to Vakil Bazar and Vakil Mosque and in walking distance of Karim Khan Citadel.

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Seyed Ruh Allah Mostafavi, born on 1902, and known as Sayyid Ruh Allah Mousavi Khomeini, Ayatollah Khomeini and Imam Khomeini, is the great leader of the Islamic revolution of Iran. He is the first supreme leader of the new regime of Islamic Republic and a Marja or High Priest of Islam. He led the oppositions both when he was in Iran and when he was sent to exile. After overthrowing of the Pahlavi King, a referendum was held putting an Islamic Republic Government into vote.  With the majority of votes, Islamic Republic was chosen and an Islamic Government was established. His significant position in the history of Iran and his popularity among Iranian as the leader of the Revolution has made people to treat him like Imams who are the descendants of the Prophet of Islam.

The Shrine that was made for him has recently been restored and many new sections were added to the complex that represents the ingenuity of Iranian Architecture. The shrine of Imam Khomeini is located in the Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran. Lately another extensive collections, including universities, museums and Sun City was built along it.

On general, the complex includes other sections such as Hotel, Mall, Theme Park, Museum, Health City and Sun City. The holly shrine of Imam Khomeini includes 600 thousand square meters, covering an area of ​​one kilometer in length and a width of more than half a kilometer.

The shrine of Imam Khomeini is located in the Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran. Lately another extensive collections, including universities, museums and Sun City was built along it.

The massive structure follows the traditional architecture of Iran with the same decoration. There are five main entrance on the eastern and western sides of the place. The main structure is predicted to withstand an earthquake of about 10 Richter in magnitude.

Around the sacred shrine, there are four gilded minarets built as tall as 91 meters. The tombs main hall also has five tiled domes with the main dome being gilded in 2007.

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The Ganj Ali Khan Complex with an area of around 11,000 square meters is located in the oldest section and yet, the center of Kerman City. It consisted of a square, bazaar, bathhouse, school, caravanserai, and water reservoir (Ab Anbar) but today, three constructs (square, bazaar, and bathhouse) of the great complex are left.

This complex was registered on the list of National Heritage in 1968. The construction of the complex was ordered by Ganj Ali Khan, the ruler of Kerman at the time of the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736) and its plan was suggested and implemented by architect Mohammad Soltani Yazdi based on the Isfahani style. This style is one of the Iranian architectural styles that has experienced its zenith during the Safavid kings.

Since Isfahan was the Safavid’s capital and a large number of buildings of the time followed the same structure, the style was known as Isfahani.

Ganj Ali Khan Mosque

Ganj Ali Khan mosque is in the north-east of the Ganj Ali Khan square that seems it used to be connected to a nearby school or caravanserai that has not remained today. The mosque has a prayer hall (meaning Shabistan in Farsi) that is about five and 25.5 meters in width and length, respectively. The portal entrance is linked to a splendid Iwan adorned with geometrical designs. There is an inscription in this section that attributes the mosque’s construction to Ganj Ali Khan and specifies the ruling time of Shah Abbas, the great Safavid king.

Right after the portal entrance, there is a dark and narrow hallway with a short roof, which leads to a domed chamber or Shabistan. The dome has 15 reticulated wooden windows (three of them are much larger than others) that function as light providers as well as air circulators. The prayer hall decoration consists of stucco work, painting, Muqarnas, and Kar-Bandi, of which the two last decorations make possible the transition of a square-shaped hall to a circular dome.

Ganj Ali Khan Bazar

The bazaar with a history of around 400 years is located on the south side of Ganj Ali Khan square. It is about 93 meters in length in the shape of a straight line (Rast-e in Farsi) having two gateways on both sides of the bazaar, known as Arg and Mosque gateways. Besides, the bazaar is connected to the square with 16 vaults and arcades.  Ganj Ali Khan bazaar is adorned with stuccos, plaster, and frescoes.

Ganj Ali Khan Bathhouse

The Ganj Ali Khan Bathhouse stands in the southern part of the square in the middle of the bazaar. The bathhouse covering an area of about 1,300 m2 includes an entrance, corridor, disrobing room, hot water pool, Toon (heating source), cold room, and Hashti (vestibule). Hashti as a common architectural element in Iran refers to a roofed passageway in the shape of an octagon that connects the outer and inner spaces of a construct to each other.

There are different types of decorations in the bathhouse including paintings, Muqarnas, tile works, stuccos, arches, and stones. In 1971, the Ganj Ali Khan Bathhouse was turned into an anthropology museum exhibiting local customs in a public bathhouse through human sculptures dressed in traditional bath costumes.

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The historic square and complex known as Amir Chakhmaq is perhaps the highlight of Yazd located in one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city. Amir Jalal Al Din Chakhmaq, a general and ruler of the Timurid era, was assigned as the governor of Yazd. With the help of his wife Fatemeh Khatoun, he ordered the establishment of a series of constructs that included the mentioned square, a bathhouse, a caravanserai, a monastery, a water well, and a mosque.

The complex was known with the same name in the Safavid era too; when Shah Abbas ordered parts of it to be restored; namely, four souks built on the caravanserai. In the 18th century, the square in front of the mosque and the facade of the bazaar were turned into a gathering place. We know that the place could not have had a religious function back then, because the building of religious gathering centers began in the Safavid era and continued afterwards. It is commonly believed that the square turned into a religious center in the 18th century and a Tekyeh, or the religious center was built on the façade of the bazaar at that time. The inscription of the place proves that it is about 130 years old.

In the 18th century, the square in front of the mosque and the facade of the bazaar were turned into a gathering place.

In the eastern part of the square there is a bazaar that locals call Haji Qanbar which takes its name from Haji Qanbar Jahanshahi, a person that was assigned as the governor of Yazd by Jahanshah Kara Koyunlu. The Kara Koyunlu that literary means the owners of black ships were a Turkman tribe based in north-west of Iran. They used to be under the control of Timurid rulers but their indomitable nature didn’t accept being ruled by others and soon they declared independence, starting their own kingdom

Another significant thing regarding this square is its Nakhl. Nakhl is a wooden object made in different sizes and used as a symbol of a martyr’s coffin. It is also known to represent a cradle and refers to the innocence of the martyr and the life of that person in heaven. Since it has the shape of a tree, it came to be known as Nakhl or palm but in reality it is the representation of Sarv or cedar that is the symbol of resistance and is known to stand as the symbol of Iran. The Nakhl of Yazd is the biggest Nakhl of the country known as Heidaries Nakhl. On the annual anniversary of Imam Hossein’s martyrdom (the third Shia Imam) the Nakhl is moved around by more than 100 men. With an estimation of 450 years of age that dates back to the Safavid Era, the Nakhl is known to be one of the oldest such structures in Iran.

Another significant thing regarding this square is its Nakhl. Nakhl is a wooden object made in different sizes and used as a symbol of a martyr’s coffin.

The Amir Chakhmaq Tekieh was registered as a national heritage in 1951 followed by the Amir Chakhmaq mosque, registered 11 years later. Later the whole complex that included the square, the bazaar, the tekyeh and the mosque were registered as one.

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