The al-Nabi Mosque ( fa, مسجد النبی قزوین – ''Masjed al-Nabi'', also known as: fa, مسجد سلطانى – Masjed-e Soltani) is a famous mosque in Qazvīn. The mosque has an area of about 14,000 m², and bears inscriptions indicating that

Fath Ali Shah Fath-Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, فتحعلى‌شاه قاجار, Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; May 1769 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irr ...

of the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...

was the founder of the mosque. Other sources however indicate that the mosque has been in existence since the

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

period. It is now believed that the architect of the structure was ''Ustad Mirza Shirazi'' with the date of construction being 1787. This glorious mosque also known as Masjed Nabi, Masjed Soltani or Masjed Shah.

Specifications

Its double layered dome measures 15m in inner-diameter, with the top of the inner layer positioned at 20.83m above ground level, while the external apex is 23.25m high. There was formerly an elevated

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

flanking the dome, of which the French explorer Madame Jane Dieulafoy had written. The mosque has four

iwan An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projecting ...

s in its courtyard. The portal contains an inscription in

nastaliq ''Nastaliq'' (; fa, , ), also romanized as ''Nastaʿlīq'', is one of the main calligraphic hands used to write the Perso-Arabic script in the Persian and Urdu languages, often used also for Ottoman Turkish poetry, rarely for Arabic. ''Nast ...

calligraphy dated 1787 CE. Similar to Qazvin's Masjed e Jame (Congregation Mosque), this mosque has a

shabestan A shabestan or shabistan ( fa, ; Old Persian ''xšapā.stāna'') is an underground space that can be usually found in traditional architecture of mosques, houses, and schools in ancient Iran. These spaces were usually used during summers and coul ...

that is now used as a library.

Specifications

See also

References

Further reading