Haji Piyada Mosque or Noh Gonbad Mosque ('' fa, مسجد نُه‌گنبد'' "Mosque of Nine Cupolas"), a

Samanid The Samanid Empire ( fa, سامانیان, Sāmāniyān) also known as the Samanian Empire, Samanid dynasty, Samanid amirate, or simply as the Samanids) was a Persianate Sunni Muslim empire, of Iranian dehqan origin. The empire was centred in Kho ...

-style building in Balkh province of northern

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Built in the 9th century, it is thought to be the earliest Islamic building in the country. Carbon dating conducted in early 2017, together with historical sources, suggest it could have been built as early as the year 794. It was built on the remains of a Buddhist monastery. The site was listed on the World Monuments Fund's 2006 World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites.

Description

The tomb measures 20×20 meters. The outside walls are of mud-brick construction. The interior is divided into nine bays, each originally covered by a dome. The columns and the arches that divide the bays are decorated in deeply carved

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

, depicting a wide variety of designs, stylistically comparable to

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

decoration in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

. Pilgrims visit the tomb of saint, Haji Piyada, who was also buried there.

The reconstruction of site

The site collapsed and damaged gradually due to aging structure and natural disasters like earthquake. As in the earlier structure, out of 9 domes, only 4 remain with interconnect arches. The front feature of arches, partially damaged. Later it has been reconstructed. In 2006, based on a request from Afghan authorities,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, and DAFA, French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan, a team of experts and the representative of Aga Khan Trust for Culture, visited this place. In 2009, the conservation of the site has started according to the request of Aga Khan Trust for Culture and funded by US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. During reconstruction, there were several historian scholars from University of Florence in Italy, to coordinate the reconstruction team for the betterment of process. The first phase of work has been done in 2011. Within the project, a larger temporary metal roof was constructed in order to protect the site from rain, wind and other natural disasters. Masjid-i No Gunbad
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Gallery

File:Haj piadeh 9 gonbad - panoramio.jpg File:Takht e rostam.png

References

Archaeological sites in Afghanistan Islamic architecture Mosques in Afghanistan Buildings and structures in Balkh Province Balkh {{Afghanistan-mosque-stub