Fakhr-ol-dowleh mosque () or Fakhr mosque, originally named Amin-ol-dowleh mosque (), is a historic

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

in Fakhrabad street in the Shemiran Gate neighborhood,

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. It was designed and built by Nikolai Markov in 1949.

Fakhr-ol-dowleh Princess Ashraf al-Muluk (1883–1955), titled Fakhr-ol-Dowleh (meaning ''pride of the state''), was one of the most prominent daughters of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty, who had a reputably strong character, to the point that s ...

, daughter of

Naser al-Din Shah Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek ...

, was the founder of the mosque and named it after her father-in-law, Amin-ol-dowleh. However, the mosque is now called Fakhr or Fakhr-ol-dowleh, after its founder. Some minor and major changes were made to the building over the years, and some parts of it have been damaged due to the construction in the frontage of the building, and the passing of subway trains heading to and coming from the Darvazeh Shemiran Metro Station.

History

In 1945, Fakhr-ol-dowleh, who was married to Amin-ol-dowleh junior, son of Mirza Ali Khan Amin-ol-dowleh, decided to build a mosque named after Mirza Ali Khan in front of her house. However, the name of the mosque, and the neighborhood it's located in, changed to Fakhr-ol-dowleh over time. She appointed architect Nikolai Markov, one of the most notable architects in Iran at the time, designed and built the mosque. Construction of the building took four years to complete. On 29 December 2004, the Fakhr-ol-dowleh mosque was registered on the

Iran National Heritage List Iran National Heritage List is a register of nationally significant monuments, places, buildings, events, etc., officially registered under the National Heritage Preservation Act of 1930. According to Article 1 of this law, "All the industrial mon ...

Characteristics

The

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

of the building consists of bricks and

marquetry Marquetry (also spelled as marqueterie; from the French ''marqueter'', to variegate) is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furn ...

mosaics and the half-octagonal-shaped entrance has four small

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 ...

s on each corner. The main structure consists of a cube-shaped main building with two

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 ...

s inside. The

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

of the building originally wasn't very high; the current taller dome was built in subsequent years. Some parts of the current structure, such as the taller dome, added

āina-kāri ''Āina-kāri'' ( fa, آینه‌کاری, ur, آئینہ کاری) is a kind of interior decoration where artists assemble finely cut mirrors together in geometric, calligraphic or foliage forms (inspired by flowers and other plants). This cr ...

s inside the mosque, and the women's section in the front yard, were added to the building later.

Damage to the building

In January 2011, a historic building near the Fakhr-ol-dowleh mosque named the Building of Flags, considered the first

apartment hotel An apartment hotel or aparthotel (also residential hotel, or extended-stay hotel) is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can "check ...

in Iran, was due to be registered on the

National Heritage List The Australian National Heritage List or National Heritage List (NHL) is a heritage register, a list of national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia, established in 2003. The list includes natural and ...

. This building was demolished before the registration in order to build a new commercial complex. Part of the construction site for the high-rise complex impinged on the front of the historic mosque, even though construction of structures higher than adjacent to registered historic and heritage buildings is forbidden by regulations for the protection of the cultural heritage in Iran. Also, subway trains pass under the mosque every two minutes. The tremors caused by passing trains have cracked the dome of the mosque, and some mosaics of the facade have fallen off the walls.

References

{{Tehran Province Mosques in Tehran Mosque buildings with domes National works of Iran Pahlavi Iran 1949 establishments in Iran