The Meydan mosque is a historical mosque in Kashan, Iran. It is located in the southern side of the ''Sang-e Ghadimi square'' and beside the

Bazaar of Kashan Bazaar of Kashan ( fa, بازار کاشان ''Bāzār-e Kāshān'') is an old bazaar in the center of the city of Kashan, Iran. It is thought to have been built in the Seljuk era with renovations during the Safavid period. The bazaar has a famo ...

. It is one of the oldest structures in Kashan. The primary structure belonged possibly to the

seljuq Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * Seljuk (warlord) (d ...

era, but it was destroyed by the Mongols during their invasions. Later it was rebuilt and repaired by ''Khaje Emad ed-Din''. A quotation for this matter is an inscription in the old

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

, in which it is mentioned that it is built in 623 Hijri (1226 AD) by ''Hassan ebn-e Arabschah'' in Kashan. The mihrab was in its original place until the last century, but it is kept now in the Museum of Islamic art in Berlin.' Jane Dieulafoy describes the mihrab as follows: ::::''"Meydan mosque is a spacious structure with an appropriate architectural technique, but its distinctive characteristic in comparison with other similar structures is its exquisite mihrab, which is covered with splendid tiles with metal reflections. With respect to their high-quality these tiles are like the famous tiles of

Imamzadeh Yahya The Imamzadeh Yahya (Persian: امامزاده یحیی – ''Emamzadeh Yahya'') is the tomb of a sixth-generation descendent of Hasan ibn Ali. This Imamzadeh was built in southern Varamin, Iran during the Ilkhanate period between 1260 and 1310. It ...

in Varamin."'' ''Abd ol-Ghaffar Najm od-Dole'' predicted well in 1882 the future of the mihrab as follows: ::::''"The embossed tiles, which I saw in the mihrab of Meydan mosque, were very interesting and spectacular. Westerners will buy them at least 2000 Tomans and will take the poor tiles away, if they can get a chance."'' The mosque had in its past glorious times high

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, a splendid inner

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 ...

space, large yard, Shabestan and Howz hall, but despite many repairs most parts of the mosque have been destroyed. The mosque had a special social and political importance, which can be realized from many orders written above its

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

. These orders date back to the 15th century in the Kara Koyunlu era until the 19th century in the Qajar era. These orders include guidelines, regulations and commands about the buying and selling of goods and food stuffs with approved prices of that time and about the prohibition of gamble and acts against the

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

. The portal of the mosque stands out because of its pure Iranian architectural techniques. The former stone

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 ...

was destroyed in 1778 in the late

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 ...

era by an earthquake.

References

{{Mosques in Iran Mosques in Isfahan Province Buildings and structures in Kashan Mosque buildings with domes

See also

References