The Nasir al-Mulk Mosque ( fa, مسجد نصیر الملک ''Masjed-e Nasir ol-Molk''), also known as the Pink Mosque (مسجد صورتی ''Masjed-e Surati''), is a traditional

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, ...

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As o ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. It is located near Shāh Chérāgh Mosque. It was built during

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 ...

rule of Iran. The mosque includes extensive coloured glass in its facade, and displays other traditional elements such as the ''Panj Kāse'' ("five concaved") design.

History

The mosque was built during the

, and is still in use under protection by the Endowment Foundation of Nasir al Molk. Construction began in 1876 by the order of Mirza Hassan Ali Nasir-ol-Mulk, one of the lords and aristocrats of Shiraz, the son of Ali Akbar Qavam al-Mulk, the ''kalantar'' of Shiraz and was completed in 1888. The designers were Mohammad Hasan-e-Memār, a Persian architect who had also built the noted

Eram Garden Eram Garden ( fa, باغ ارم, ''Bāgh-e Eram'') is a historic Persian garden in Shiraz, Iran. The garden, and the building within it, are located at the northern shore of the Khoshk River in the Fars province. History It is unclear when cons ...

before the Nasir al-Molk Mosque, Mohammad Hosseini Shirazi, and Mohammad Rezā Kāshi-Sāz-e-Širāzi.

Orsi: Persian Stained Glass

Although

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

is mostly popular in churches nowadays, the earliest discovered was in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

from the 7th century. We do have evidence of techniques and recipes for obtaining stained glass by the Persian chemist

Jabir ibn Hayyan Abū Mūsā Jābir ibn Ḥayyān (Arabic: , variously called al-Ṣūfī, al-Azdī, al-Kūfī, or al-Ṭūsī), died 806−816, is the purported author of an enormous number and variety of works in Arabic, often called the Jabirian corpus. The ...

in his book Kitab al-Durra al-maknuna (The Book of the Hidden Pearl) published in the eighth century CE. Orsi windows are windows made of a mixture of wood and colorful glass in the Safavid and the Qajar dynasties. Orsi differs from stained glass used in many churches and Ottoman mosques which serve as illuminated images rather than a source of light. Light is a major feature in many mosques considering it being a major symbol of God in Islam. This is mentioned in a chapter in

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...

:
″Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth″The Qur'an 4:35/ref>

Gallery

مسجد نصیرالملک در شیراز.jpg, Winter prayer hall Nasir Al-Molk (28395511855).jpg, Winter prayer hall مسجد نصیرالملک شیراز ایران-Nasir ol Molk Mosque shiraz iran 03.jpg, Outside of the mosque In Celebration of Colors at Nasir ol-Mulk Mosque Shiraz Iran.jpg, Outside of the mosque at night Nasir ol Molk Mosque (31233735801).jpg, Muqarnas of Nasir-ol-molk Mosque Mezquita de Nasirolmolk, Shiraz, Irán, 2016-09-24, DD 57-59 HDR (cropped).jpg, Ceilings of the winter prayer hall Decoration Nasirolmolk mosque.jpg, Decoration of the mosque Masdjed-e Nasr ol molk.jpg, Mosaic dome interior Nasir-ol-Molk Mosque (inside).jpg, interior

References

External links

Nasir ol Molk Mosque on ''Art-Days.com''Nasir ol Molk Mosque on ''Albert-Videt.eu''

BBC Persian: Nasir ol Molk
{{Fars Province Buildings of the Qajar period Mosques completed in 1888 19th-century mosques Mosques in Shiraz Mosque buildings with domes 1880s establishments in Iran Burial sites of the Qavam family

History

Orsi: Persian Stained Glass

Gallery

See also

References

External links