Mosques in Iran; Cultural Havens with Impressive Architecture

Mosques are the most important works of architecture in Iran since the advent of Islam. The mosques built in the most remote areas across the country indicate the huge significance of these buildings in Iranian people’s lives.

August 21, the day when Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Holy Quds was set on fire by Zionists in 1969, has been named as the World Mosque Day by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The following are some of the most prominent and oldest mosques located in various parts of Iran:

Qoba Mosque of Sanandaj

The mosque is located in the old part of the Kurdish-majority city, western Iran. The building was constructed in 1812 by Amanollah Khan Ardalan, the then governor of Kurdistan.

Furg Mosque

It is a Sunni mosque in a village with the same name, has a special style of architecture. It is located 110km east of Birjand, eastern Iran.

The Grand Mosque of Sari

This is one of the few mosques in Iran with one Iwan. The mosque has been repaired and renovated in various eras, particularly in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Seyyed Mosque

It is the biggest and the most famous mosque from the Qajar era in Isfahan. It was founded by Seyyed Mohammad Bagher Shafti, one of the most famous clergymen in Isfahan, in the middle of the 19th century, but its tiling lasted until the end of the century. The Seyyed mosque is the best sample for studying the tiling art in the Qajar era.

 

Fahraj Mosque

The oldest Muslim house of worship in Iran,it  is the only ancient mosque across the Muslim world whose structure has remained intact. The mosque located in a town with the same name in Yazd Province was built about 1,400 years ago.

 

The Grand Mosque of Naein

This mosque in Isfahan province is the city’s premier historical attraction, though with a 28m high minaret, it is also probably the city’s tallest building. In Islamic architecture reference books, Naein mosque is the third oldest one in Iran.

The mosque has been built on the site of an abandoned fire temple belonging to the Sassanid dynasty. The basement of this mosque, however, appears to be from a different religious and historical period. It seems that it was a temple belonging to a pre-Zoroastrian era. The alabaster stones used in the ceiling of the basement are the only source of light for the dark hall. It is estimated that this part of the structure is more than 2,000 years of old.

The Jame’ Mosque of Yazd

It is the grand, congregational mosque of Yazd in central Iran. The mosque is depicted on the obverse of the Iranian 200 rials banknote. The 12th-century mosque is still in use today. It was first built under Ala’oddoleh Garshasb of the Al-e Bouyeh dynasty. The mosque was largely rebuilt between 1324 and 1365, and is one of the outstanding 14th century buildings of Iran.

The old mosque is one of the most beautiful, outstanding, and important tourist attractions in Iran.

Bastam Grand Mosque

This mosque is located at a distance of 200 metres from the tomb of Bayazid, a famous Persian Sufi, south of the city of Bastam, in Iran’s east-northern province of Semnan. It was constructed in the 1st century AH.

The historic mosque is connected to the Kashaneh Tower in the southeast. The tower has 30 sides. Some researchers believe this structure is a relic from the times of Qazan Khan Mongol and it was previously known as Qazaneh.

 

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque

It is one of the architectural masterpieces of Iranian architecture that was built during the Safavid Empire, standing on the eastern side of Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, central Iran.

The construction of the mosque started in 1603 and was finished in 1619. It was built by the chief architect Sheikh Bahai, during the reign of Shah Abbas I of Persia.