Partico of Kaboud Mosque (Blue Mosque) – Tabriz Province, Iran
Photo by Tappasan Phurisamrit / Shutterstock

Mosque is a holy place where Muslims worship God and it is also one of the most important buildings in Islamic architecture of Iran. The first mosques had a very simple architecture and they were mainly built in a square or rectangular shape whose walls were made of clay and the direction of mosques was toward Qibla.

Based on the archeological and historical researches, the oldest mosques of Iran are Shush Mosque and Jameh Mosque of Fahraj. The simple plan of mosques include minaret and semi-dome. The second oldest mosque of Iran is Tarikhaneh Mosque in Damghan city which was built at the beginning of 10th century. Shiraz Jameh Mosque, Jameh Mosque of Nā’īn and Neyriz Mosque in Fars Province were built during 10th and 11th centuries.

Seljuq Dynasty (11^th and 12^th centuries) is known as a time when mosque building flourished in different cities of Iran, there are some mosques made of bricks which can be considered the mementos of this era. They followed some of the instructions of Sassanid era such as Four-Iwan design (Chahar Iwani) in mosque building. Some of the mosque built in Seljuq era are Jameh mosques of Isfahan, Ardestan, Bersiyan, Borujerd, Ardabil.

Jam-e Mosque of Yazd – Yaz Province, Iran
Photo by Leonid Andronov / Shutterstock

The construction of huge buildings with their large domes became common in Ilkhanate Era (13^th and 15^th centuries) which can be abundantly observed in the architecture of the mosques. To make the buildings more attractive, they decorated the facades with long and thin frames and sharp crescents. The Jameh mosques of Yazd, Varamin and Oshtorjan were built in this era.

Timurid Empire (14^th century) witnessed the flourishment of decorating mosques with tiles. The mosques were mainly built using Four-Iwan methods with tall iwans and portals having beautiful muqarnas. Building domes which were like Kulah Khud (the helmets used in ancient western Asia for battle which were bowl-shaped and pointed) was one of the salient characteristics of this era. The most significant and famous mosques of this era were Goharshad (Mashhad), Blue (Tabriz) and Jameh mosque of Kashan.

Blue Mosque in Tabriz is an indoor mosque without any yard, it is called turquoise of Islam.

The glory and resplendence of architecture and specially mosque building in Iran was observed in Safavid Dynasty (16^th – 18^th centuries). Some instances of the mosque in this era are Imam (or Shah) Mosque and Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. In this era, the patterns used for mosque building were Four-Iwan design and large domes.

Kabud Gonbad Mosque (in Sarakhs) and Vakil Mosque (in Shiraz) are the memorials of Afsharid and Zand dynasties (18^th century).

Mihrab of Nasir Ol Molk Mosque – Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
Photo by NICOLA MESSANA/ Shutterstock

Although the traces of Safavid mosque building style can be observed in Qajar Dynasty (18^th century), it is not as glorious as theirs. Also, the European art and decorations were used in this era. Imam Mosque of Semnan is an absolute example of Four-Iwan mosque which is a representative of Qajar architecture as well. Some of these examples are Shah Mosque (Tehran), Sepahsalar or Motahari Mosque (Tehran), Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (Shiraz) and Agha Bozorg Mosque and school (Kashan).

It is interesting to know that Now or Atabak Mosque in Shiraz and Ard-Khorma (Flour and Date) Mosque in Ardakan are the largest and smallest mosques of Iran respectively.

Iranian Architecture Infographic / Historic Imam Mosque – Isfahan, Isfahan Province, Iran
Photo by Alexandre Rotenberg / Shutterstock
Infographic by Negar Ganji

Components of a Mosque

All the mosques have some common components regardless of their construction style including: Courtyard, Iwan (a rectangular hall), Portico, Minaret, Dome, Shabestan (an underground space) and Mihrab (semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the Qibla). Each of these components can be removed from the components of a mosque except Mihrab which is the most important part of a mosque and shows the direction of Qibla.

Courtyard

courtyard or “Sahn” is a common element in religious buildings and residences, used in urban and rural settings which is called Mian Sara as well. The Iwan is located around Mian Sara.

Iwan

it is a sitting room which is higher than its surrounding spaces and is usually built in the exterior parts of the buildings. The Iwan of Iranian mosque is usually decorated with muqarnas.

Portico

it is an indoor space having pillars which is built between two sides of courtyard or Mian Sara of the mosque. Its entrance is opened to courtyard and connects the entrance of the mosque to the Shabestan.

Minaret

the first minaret was built in 10th century. It was primarily built as a single construction but later, it became a paired element in the architecture of the mosques.

Dome

the hemispherical ceilings in the traditional architecture of Iran which are decorated with bricks or tiles.

Mihrab

it is a semicircular niche in the wall of mosque which indicates the Qibla and is the turning point of a mosque.

Shabestan

it is an indoor space with uniform and parallel pillars which is connected to the courtyard of the mosque wherein people can say prayers. Some of them lack pillars.

Shabestan of Vakil Mosque – Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran
Photo by javarman / Shutterstock

Different Iranian Mosques

Generally, there are two kinds of mosque in Iran: the mosques with Shabestan or with Iwan, of course, the crucial role of Chahartaqi mosques (an architectural unit consisted of four barrel vaults) cannot be ignored.

Shabestan Mosques

different parts of these mosques are an indoor area next to Qibla, central yard and platforms.

Chahartaqi Mosques

the mosques having a quadrilateral plan and domical ceiling including four pillars and a domical vault are called Chahartaqi mosques.

Iwan Mosques

in 11th century, using pillars was no longer common and the architecture style changed from Shabestani to Iwan design. Iwan is a component which is used in this style and the mosques are named based on the architectural style and number of Iwans used in building them e.g. One-Iwan, Two-Iwan, Four-Iwan and the combination of Chahartaq and Iwan. In Two-Iwan mosques, the Iwans were built in front of each other.

The post Iranian Mosque appeared first on Persia Advisor.

Nasir Al-Mulk Mosque – Shiraz, Fars Province, Iran

The architecture of pre-Islamic Iran is divided into two styles of “Parsian” and “Parthian”.

Parsian Style

it is the first architectural style in Iran starting from Achaemenid era until the invasion of Alexander (from 6th to 4th B.C). Rectangular spaces with columned halls, construction of buildings on platform, introverted style, using wooden ceilings, carved stones, plinth and capital, decoration of entrance and glazed tile in interior sectors are among the main features of Parsian architecture.

Parthian Style

As the name suggests, Parthian Style is the architecture used by the Parthian, it includes diversity in patterns, introverted style, symmetry in construction of palaces and temples, increase in the height of buildings, curved arches and domes, squinches below the domes, using local materials like rubble, adobe, brick, mud, and stucco work.

Iran’s Architecture from the Advent of Islam to Seljuk (6^th to 11^th centuries)

In spite of the advent of Islam, for years, Iran’s architectural style was dependent on the past elements. After that, Muslim artists introduced new forms, buildings, and constructs like mosque, school, bridge, castle and caravanserai with respect to previous artistic features especially Sassanid ones and inspired Islamic mind-set.

At the beginning of Islamic time, more attention was paid to the construction of mosque. The mosques usually had simple structures, but from this time, we witnessed the rise of Muqarnas decorative designs (decorations made of brick, tile, stone, plaster and wood) as an ornament of the mosque. The Muqarnas decorative styles used in Gonbad-e Qabus tower is one of the earliest examples of it in 10th century. Besides, Ribat-i Mahi, contemporary to Gonbad-e Qabus tower, has muddy brick and stucco decorations as well and acts as a precedent for the more lavish decorations of Seljuk and Ilkhanate Eras.

Iran’s Architecture from Seljuk to Timurid (11^th to 15^th Centuries)

Seljuk dynasty (11th century) is one of the most outstanding periods of Iran’s architecture. The construction of schools was popular in this time and many schools were built in the cities of Baghdad, Neyshabur, Marv, Rey and Hyrcania (current Gorgan). The plans of most of the buildings in this era was Four-Iwan design (Chahar Iwani) with stucco and brick as their prominent decorations. Iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. They are mostly build in exterior space of the buildings having entrance/ exit spaces. Different buildings such as mosque, school, tomb and caravanserai were constructed in this era as well. The splendour and glory of Seljuk architecture are completely visible in Jameh mosque of Isfahan. Although, Jameh mosque of Isfahan is the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations of 15 centuries of Islamic Era, the most beautiful and important part of the mosque belongs to Seljuk Dynasty. It is interesting to know that the use of tile as a decorative element has become popular since the end of 10th century. The oldest examples are the tiles of Kharraqan towers in Qazvin which were built in Seljuk Dynasty.

Preserving the Seljuk architectural styles including Four-Iwan design, Ilkhanate architecture entered a new stage; Iwan became higher with narrow width and the walls got narrower as well. Decorations like stucco, tile work and brick with special patterns adorned buildings. Mihrabs of Isfahan Jameh Mosque, Urmia and Oshtorjan mosques are the obvious proofs of the mastery in stucco art in that era.

During Timurid dynasty, the art of mosaic tiling reached its zenith, it is the art of the assembling of small pieces of coloured tiles to make an image. Mosques like Goharshad in Mashhad, Blue in Tabriz, Khargerd Ghiasieh School in Khorasan and some buildings in Herat and Bukhara show the importance and application of this art in religious buildings.

In this era, Grand Khorasan in east of Iran played an important role in development of architecture as well. Khorasan was the origin of lots of innovations in architecture that spread it to other parts of the country. Two-Iwan style was used in Khorasan for the first time and it was one of the first cities that the traces of turquoise tile are found in, this style can be observed in Mosques of Zuzan, Gonabad and Forumad.

Iranian Architecture Infographic / Historic Imam Mosque – Isfahan, Isfahan Province, Iran
Photo by Alexandre Rotenberg / Shutterstock
Infographic by Negar Ganji

Iran’s Architecture from Safavid to the Contemporary Era

The 16th and 17th centuries are known as the period of flourishment of Islamic arts in Iran. In the shadow of the support of Safavid’s kings, art and architecture advanced drastically. The majority of buildings in Safavid era such as mosques, schools, and caravanserais were constructed in a four-Iwan style and Muaraq (Mosaic) and Haft Rang (Seven-Coloured) tiles were the main decorations used in the buildings, the template of tiles were square which were glazed and seven colors were used to design them. Calligraphy on tile became common in decoration of religious buildings as well. Public places like mosque, bridge, bathhouse, water reservoir and specially caravanserai were built more than ever. Amin Abad caravanserai in Isfahan, Deh-bid caravanserai on the road of Isfahan to Shiraz and the numerous Abbasi caravanserais built all over the country were important caravanserais of this period.

After the fall of Safavid Dynasty, the same architectural style of that time continued like before but it was not as glorious as before. Kalat Naderi Palace (Khorshid Palace) in Khorasan province (Afsharid era) and Vakil complex in Shiraz (Zandiyeh era) are outstanding buildings of this period. After this period and with the beginning of Qajar Reign, architecture was the centre of attention again. Some of the buildings from Qajar era like Al-Nabi Mosque in Qazvin, the Haj Ali Agha complex in Kerman, Imam Mosque, Sepahsalar Mosque and school in Tehran, as well as Golestan palace are the examples of the breathtaking architecture of Qajar era.

Contemporary Architecture

The contemporary architecture of Iran starts from early 19th century and continues up to now. Architectural structures of buildings in this time were the combination of traditional and western architecture styles which were witnessed in constructs like Shahrbani Palace, Marble Palace and Post Office building of Tehran, or modern architectural style was entirely used.

The post Iranian Architecture appeared first on Persia Advisor.

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.

The post Vakil Mosque appeared first on Persia Advisor.

The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is located on the eastern side of the historical Naqsh-e Jahan Square. Shah Abbas I of the Safavid Dynasty ordered the construction of this mosque in 1602 and was completed in 1619 and he named it after a clergyman of Lebanese nationality called Sheikh Lotfollah.

He was one of the biggest clergymen during the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736) who moved to Iran following his invitation by Shah Abbas to be supported in Shiite faith. Sheikh was later had the honor of supervising the royal Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque and praying there as an Imam that was used both as a mosque and harem for the king.

From an architectural viewpoint, the mosque is quite simple; however, it is decorated with majestic tile working. The mosque has no four-Iwan plan (while this plan was common during the Safavid Dynasty), vaulted gallery, courtyard, and more importantly, no minaret as one of the essential parts of the Islamic mosques. This is because the mosque was built as a private mosque for the king, leading to the deletion of some essential parts of public mosques.

The whole mosque’s area accounts for 1,324 square meters and its dome is 32 meters in height and 12 meters in diameter. The mosque has a praying hall with 16 lattice windows on the top of the walls through which rays of the sun in the forms of the lattices emit inside the hall. The interwoven patterns of lights and shadows are among the attractions of this hall added to its beautiful tile works.

This praying hall located under the dome of the mosque is accessible through a corridor that starts from the portal entrance of the structure. The corridor has two lattice windows to provide enough light. The walls and dados of the mosque are decorated with mosaic tiles and enameled bricks that consist of arabesques and floral designs. The Mihrab of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is a kind of high niche Mihrab has a portal decorated with Muqarnas (a kind of Islamic vaulted decorations particularly for entrance portals) and tilework.

One of the unique features of this mosque refers to its 45-degree rotation on the north-south axis through an entrance corridor in order to adjust the direction of the mosque towards the kiblah. The architect of the mosque was Mohammad Reza Isfahani and its inscriptions were made by calligrapher Alireza Abbasi with white tiles on a blue background.

He is in fact the most famous calligrapher during the reign of Shah Abbas but Bagher Banna was another famous calligrapher of the time, who contributed significantly to the inscriptions of this mosque as well.

The post Sheikh Lotfollah (Lotf Allah) Mosque appeared first on Persia Advisor.

The Royal mosque is the masterpieces of architecture, tilework and carpentry, and was built in the seventeenth century. It is situated on the south side of Naghsh-e Jahan square and opposite the Qeysarieh portal entrance. Its construction coincided with the 24^th year of reign of Shah Abbas, in 1611 and took eighteen years to be complete. The great master of tile working Ali Akbar Isfahani finished the mosque in the last year of Shah Abbas reign, however, the decoration of the mosque completed after his death.

There are some stories about the construction of this Mosque, the most famous of which is that Shah Abbas was in a hurry and ordered the construction of mosque to finish quickly. However, the architect rejected Shah’s order and went into hiding. The Angered king ordered search parties to find the architect. However, no matter how much they tried, they could not find the architect. Years passed, the mosque was left unfinished, and no one could understand the complexity of his work, but suddenly the architect returned. He appeared in front of the king and explained that the mosque needed to be left for a time to subside but since he knew the king’s haste, he had to run away. The king understood his reasoning and pardoned him.

It is situated on the south side of Naghsh-e Jahan square and opposite the Qeysarieh portal entrance. Its construction coincided with the 24^th year of reign of Shah Abbas, in 1611 and took eighteen years to be complete.

The whole mosque is covered with a style of tiling known as seven-colored tiles. The royal mosque is based on four-iwan plan with the southern iwan being 33 m high with two flanking minarets that each are 48 meters. Southern iwan is usually the most lavishly decorated part of Iranian mosque and leads to the main Mihrab. The dome stands on southern iwan and is decorated by blue tiles and white calligraphy. The dome is 52 m high with a diameter of 21 m. It is the largest double cased dome of Isfahan, the space of the two layers of dome is about 13 meter and has the function of a traditional echo system. The Royal Mosque Also has two symmetrical prayer halls that are located on the southwest and southeast and two schools at eastern and western sides, which are named Naseri and Soleimaniyeh.

The portal entrance is designed with muqarnas and flanking arcades, with two minarets that are each 42-meter. The mosque entrance faces north, because the shape of Naqsh-e Jahan Square required such angle, but to get the direction to match the Kiblah two corridors were built that caused a detour around the north iwan through and lead to courtyard. The simple architectural trick both solved the problem of Kiblah and also added to the beauty of Mosque. The magnificent Mosque was used by the royal family and befitted their station; it is one of the most beautiful examples of Safavid architecture and decoration.

The post The Royal Mosque (Shah Mosque) appeared first on Persia Advisor.

This Mosque is one of the oldest mosques of Shiraz located in the neighborhood of Goud Araban. It was built around 1914-1926 by the order of Hassan Ali Nasir Ol Molk, made by the master architect Mirza Mohammad Hassan. Master Mohammad Reza who was a renowned artist of Qajar time did the tile works. The Mosque has a vast courtyard with two Iwans on the northern and southern side of it. It has two Shabistan or Praying Hall and a striking portal entrance.

The Western Shabistan or Praying Hall has seven doors all made from wood with small panels that were filled with color glasses. The hall also has 12 massive round twisted columns that are all made of one-piece stones and placed in two rows of six, inspired by the 12 Shiite Imams. The ceiling is covered with floral patterns and arabesque lines displaying Sura from Holly Quran in Sols Style (a Style of Calligraphy.) Under the reflection of sun light, the many colored glasses of the place make the Shabistan look as if red beams are scattered everywhere. That is why the Mosque is also referred to as the Rose Mosque of Iran.

As it was mentioned the two Shabistan are located in the east and west, the eastern one was made to face the Kiblah (a place that shows the direction of Mecca where the Muslims say their prayers to) and used in the hot weather of summer. The magnificent western Shabistan is filled with tilework and bricks with patterns of roses and vases drawn on them. around 70 years ago, when the Mosque undergone a period of restoration, the tiles were covered with new one that were made in turquoise.

Under the reflection of sun light, the many colored glasses of the place make the Shabistan look as if red beams are scattered everywhere. That is why the Mosque is also referred to as the Rose Mosque of Iran.

The two Iwans of Nasir Mosque are not symmetrical, which is unusual in the Persian Architecture that is based on symmetry. The northern Iwan is surrounded by four rooms built on either side of the Iwan. There are two minarets in the south Iwan and there is a shallow pool in the middle of the square shaped courtyard. The lighting of this mosque has turned it to a popular tourist destination, a place you must see when visiting Shiraz.

The post Nasir Ol Molk Mosque appeared first on Persia Advisor.

The Jameh Mosque of Nain, known also as the Alavian Mosque, is one of the early mosques in Iran, located in Nain City, Isfahan Province, which belongs to early Islam in the 9th century but it is still in use. Following the common architectural plan of the time, the Jameh Mosque of Nain was built based on a central rectangular courtyard surrounded by porches, introducing it as a Shabestany Mosque.

Originally, the mosque was built with semicircular arches that they were turned into pointed arches and their height increased as well in later eras. More than other elements, the mosque is known for its Menbar (alter) and a wooden door. Menbar is a stair stand that a clergy sits on its top to deliver his speech. Both the door and the Menbar are designed with floral and arabesque patterns.

There is also an inscription in Menbar in Arabic Naskh calligraphy that dates back to the 14^th century. The calligraphy is adorned with patterns of trees and leaves while it also mentions the name of the person (Jamal Al-Din Malek Tojar) who has provided a budget for the construction of Menbar.

The post Jameh Mosque of Nain appeared first on Persia Advisor.

Photo by ninara via Flickr / CC BY 2.0

It was built in Qajar dynasty and was the most famous one in Kermanshah. This national monument used to play a big role during the holy month of Muharram, to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, a time when many religious plays were acted. Hussain Khan Moeen Al Raaya built at the end of 19^th century. Less than a decade later, this magnificent building was completely demolished as a group of constitutionalists set it on fire. It took architects so many years to repair the structure after that. Finally, in 1940s, Mirza Hssan Khan Moaven Ol Molk, bought the mosque and started to repair it. A year later, he bought the surrounding lands, and started building Abbasieh and Zeinabieh in order to expand the mosque and welcome more people to come over to pray and participate in religious ceremonies. Hassan Khan died two years later and was buried in the Zeinabieh building.

Hussain Khan Moeen Al Raaya built at the end of 19^th century. Less than a decade later, this magnificent building was completely demolished as a group of constitutionalists set it on fire. It took architects so many years to repair the structure after that. Finally, in 1940s, Mirza Hssan Khan Moaven Ol Molk, bought the mosque and started to repair it.

After his death, in order to maintain the place, locals decided to change the usage of Abbasieh to Islamic-studies school; it remained the same school for the next 30 years. In 1973, Moaven al Molk was officially registered as national monument. The place includes different sections including Hosseinieh with magnificent tiling, and notable variety of colors. The tiles narrate different stories from Quranic scenes to pre-Islamic motifs including Shahnâme epic stories. In this building, there are also poems describing the monument and the end date of its tiling.

Photo by Coffeetalkh via Wikimedia Commons / GNU FDL

The next section is Zeinabieh, the building in the middle which is mainly designed to accommodate women during the religious ceremony. Also in the bottom margin, several paintings of mythological and historical kings, done by a well-known Kermanshahi calligrapher is seen.

Abbasieh, has a large courtyard with double columned porch in the southern part. Its walls are decorated with polychrome tiles on which scenes from entering Yousef to Canaan, and the shrine of Ali and his son Hussein. Presently two cultural museums are located in Abbasieh, Anthropology Museum and the Museum of garments and ornaments of Kermanshah.

Tekieh Moaven ol-Molk is known for its remarkable and exceptional tiling. Images carved on the tiles, included scenes of battles of Mohammed. Imam Ali battles and Karbala, also images of ancient monarchs such as, Achaemenid King and images of Persepolis that is unique in its kind.

The post Takieh Mo’aven ol-Molk (Tekyeh Moaven al-molk) appeared first on Persia Advisor.

The Blue Mosque is a famous mosque in Iran in the city of Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province. It dates back to Kara Koyunlu reign, an Oghuz Turk tribe that ruled over west and north-west of the country about 1375 to 1468. The mosque was built by the order of Sultan Jahanshah’s wife, Jan Beygom Khatun; Sultan was the third Kara Koyunlu’s king while, years later when Kara Koyunlu was overthrown by Ak Koyunlu, the king’s daughter, Saleheh, supervised the rest of the construction.

The Blue Mosque has an inscription mentioning that it was built in the 15th century. The name of the mosque refers to its blue and turquoise tiles that are adorned with magnificent calligraphies in different styles in white color.

Notably, the blue mosque was part of a large complex that used to be known as Mozafariyeh complex. It included several constructs such as school, library, mosque, monastery, caravanserai, bathhouse, courtyard, cemetery, gardens, and square but today just the mosque has remained. The famous Silk Road was near this complex and this caused the growth of the place.

The architectural style of the mosque is known as Razi, which is an Iranian form dating back to the Mongol Empire (1256-1335). This style focuses on details of decorations of domes and vaults. The Blue Mosque includes a staircase, portal entrance, Iwan, side prayer halls, two domed chambers, and a courtyard, and in general, it is in the shape of a square having a small central pool. The most magnificent part of this construct refers to two domes and domed chambers; the smaller chamber is a tomb.

The main and larger dome has a big prayer hall (Shabistan), while the southern one possesses a smaller domed chamber. The southern part of the mosque has also a basement with two tombs belonging to the royal family, Jahan Shah and his daughter, which were found during the restoration of the mosque. This style of architecture today is known as mosque-tomb or mosque-monument.

Besides the two domes mentioned above, the masque also consists of seven shorter domes over prayer halls on the east and west sides of the main courtyard and entrance. It seems the Blue Mosque used to have two minarets on either side of the entrance but today nothing has remained of them. In 1780, in the aftermath of an earth quack in Tabriz City, the mosque was heavily damaged such that almost all of its constructs with the exception of its Iwan (entrance hall) were ruined.

The restoration of the mosque began in 1939 and it was reconstructed to some extent in 1973 during the Pahlavi Era (1925-1979). Today, the highlights of the mosque include its tall portal entrance and the magnificent tiling of both portal and ceilings that is a combination of gold and azure blue in color.

The entrance of the mosque is adorned with mosaic tilling and an inscription that was decorated with Reqa. The description of this complex is mentioned in several historical sources, among which a book entitled Rozat al Jenen meaning flowers of paradise could be regarded as the most famous one.

Numerous travel books of famous 17th-century travelers like Tavernier have also mentioned the name of the place as well. In 1931, this mosque was registered as a National Heritage by Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization.

The post Blue Mosque (Kabud, Kabood) appeared first on Persia Advisor.

The magnificent Jameh Mosque of Yazd City that took over 100 years to be built encompasses three historical architectural periods. First, a Sassanid (224-651 CE) fire temple was built with a structure known as ChaharTaghi; a common style for fire temples that is consisted of four pillars connected to four arches and a dome ceiling.

Second, following the advent of Islam and the beginning of Islamic-Persian art, the Sassanid ChaharTaghi was developed and turned into a mosque by the order of Garshasep during the Buyid Dynasty (934-1062). Third, when the art of designing and making mosques matured, and following the advent of the architectural style of Azari, a new construct of the mosque (the present mosque) was built during the reign of Rokn Al-Din Muhammad Ghazi in the 14th century.

Azari or the Mongol Style was used during the Ilkhanid kings (1256-1335) in Iran. The most notable feature of this style refers to its focus on height such that all buildings of this style are immensely tall with lavish decorations, implying the mindset of Mongol kings to indicate their splendor through majestic buildings. Similar to the architecture of most mosques, this mosque also consists of a portal entrance, a pair of minarets, a dome chamber, a courtyard, a Mihrab, and a praying hall.

In particular, the Jameh Mosque of Yazd has a double-layer dome with Islamic spiral motifs and an inscription over it noting “Almolk Allah” which means “the place of God”. The domed chamber of the mosque called Tabestaneh or the Summer Hall has reticulated windows and a tiled Mihrab. The tiles are decorated with Islamic motifs, the name of the Prophet Muhammad, and some verses from the holy book of the Quran.

The praying hall of the mosque has two sections, one of which used in winter and the other in spring. The portal of the mosque, following the tradition of the Timurid (1370-1507) architecture, is tall measuring about 24 meters in height and adorned with inlaid tiles. The Iwans surrounding the courtyard and the massive minarets make this mosque one of the unique examples of the Timurid architecture.

Each of the two minarets of the mosque is more than 52 meters in height and eight meters in diameter, introducing them as the highest historical minarets in Iran. Notably, the minarets were built in the Safavid Era (1501-1736) but were collapsed and rebuilt in 1934 when the mosque was registered as a national heritage by Iran’s Organization of Cultural Heritage and Handicrafts.

The post Jameh Mosque of Yazd appeared first on Persia Advisor.

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.

The post Ganj Ali Khan Complex appeared first on Persia Advisor.

Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, Isfahan Province, Iran
Photo by Alexandre Rotenberg / Sutterstock

Masjed-e Jameh of Isfahan is a museum of architecture since it embraces twelve centuries of Iranian mosque architecture. Even though the construction of the mosque is attributed to the 9th century CE, many believe that the mosque is built upon a pre-Islamic fire temple. This postulation is because of the excavation of a decorated Sassanid (224 – 650 CE) column base. When Islam was introduced to Iran, every Islamic art style left a trace on this mosque. Its majority of architecture and decorations were carried out by two major Iranian dynasties of Seljuk and Safavid.

Leveraging the four-iwans style of Sassanid palace architecture, the Jameh mosque of Isfahan underwent the first adaptation in the religious constructions. The four iwans called Sahib on the south, Dervish on the north, Ostad on the west, and Shagerd on the east sides of the mosque are all ornamented with Muqarnas (Stalactite vaulting) and Karbandi (a geometric decoration type).

Plan of Masjed-e Jameh of Isfahan – Persia Advisor Travels
by Negar Ganji

Decorated with stunning stucco, shabestan is close to the southern iwan and involves a forest of columns dating back to Daylamites (10th and 11th centuries CE). Unique in the time of Seljuk, the Nezam al-Molk dome was the prototype of double-shell ribbed domes that further enabled architects and artists to add further decorations to the dome. The iwan in front of the dome was decorated with large Muqarnas of 12th centuries CE and artworks of the ages of Qara Qoyunlu and Safavid dynasties. In the northern iwan, there is an elegant brick dome constructed by Taj al-Molk, another courtier of Malik Shah I and the rival of Nizam al-Molk.

The complex houses various mihrabs among which the most famous is the one with exquisite geometric and floral stucco design in the western iwan built under the command of Ilkhanid Sultan Uljeito. A Timurid Winter Hall with the application of alabaster skylight is situated next to the room of Uljeito.

Masjed-e Jameh of Isfahan was registered in UNESCO World Heritage list in 2012.

The post Masjed-e Jameh of Isfahan (Jameh Mosque) appeared first on Persia Advisor.