The Sepahsālār Mosque ( fa, مسجد سپهسالار - ''Masjed-e Sepahsālār'') is a famous 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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The construction project of the mosque was started in 1879 upon the order of Mirza Hosein Sepahsalar, the Grand Vizir of Iran during

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar 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 ...

, and the first phase of construction was finished after five years since it was started. The mosque was renamed the Shahid Motahhari (), after the 1979

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

, but it is commonly known as its initial name of Sepahsalar Mosque. The Sepahsalar Mosque is one of the largest Mosque in Tehran. During the late

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

as well as Pahlavi era, Sepahsalar mosque was distinctive landmark of Tehran with its eight minarets which was unique in Persian design of mosques. The mosque is located southeast of

Baharestan square Baharestan ( fa, بهارستان ) is a locality east of the central part of Tehran in Iran. The historical Baharestan building is located in this neighborhood. Kendriya Vidyalaya Tehran, the Embassy of India School, is in Baharestan.

, next to the former National Consultative Majlis of Iran.

Architecture

The Sepahsalar Mosque is the first mosque in Tehran whose design is mix of

Persian architecture Iranian architecture or Persian architecture (Persian: معمارى ایرانی, ''Memāri e Irāni'') is the architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its history dates back to at least 5,000 BC w ...

and architecture of

mosques in Istanbul 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 ...

. The building is inspired by

Jameh Mosque of Isfahan The Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān or Jāme' Mosque of Isfahān ( fa, مسجد جامع اصفهان ''Masjid-e-Jāmeh Isfahān''), also known as the Atiq Mosque () and the Friday Mosque of Isfahān (), is a historic congregational mosque (''Jāmeh'' ...

, Chaharbagh School and

Sultan Ahmed Mosque The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, also known by its official name, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque ( tr, Sultan Ahmet Camii), is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A functioning mosque, it also attracts large numbers of ...

. The mosque has a special dome and eight minarets. The main entrance portal and the facade are of a quite distinctive Qajar style. Two massive minarets flank the recessed entrance, which leads into a courtyard surrounded by twin-storeyed arcades of college rooms; in all there are some 60 chambers. Tiles with full-blown floral motifs in typically flamboyant Qajar style decorate the courtyard, while a tile inscription band gives details of the original endowment. The prayer hall dome, 37m in height, is supported by 44 columns.

Events

Former Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Court

Abdolhossein Hazhir Abdolhossein Hazhir ( fa, عبدالحسین هژیر‎; 4 June 1902 – 5 November 1949) was an Iranian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Iran under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in 1948, having been a minister 10 times. One of his post ...

was assassinated by a member of the

Fada'iyan-e Islam Fadā'iyān-e Islam ( fa, فدائیان اسلام, also spelled as ''Fadayan-e Islam'' or in English "Fedayeen of Islam" or "Devotees of Islam" or literally "Self-Sacrificers of Islam") is a Shia fundamentalist group in Iran with a strong activi ...

at the mosque in November 1949.

Gallery

File:Sepahsalar Mosque-Madrassa, under construction.jpg, Under construction, 1879–1884 File:Sepahsalar Mosque.jpg, Sepahsalar Mosque during the Qajar dynasty period File:Sepahsalar Mosque 1930s.jpg, Sepahsalar Mosque, 1930s File:AliAkbar Davar Funeral2.jpg,

Ali-Akbar Davar Ali-Akbar Dāvar ( fa, علی‌اکبر داور also known as Mirza Ali-Akbar Khan-e Dāvar, 1885 – 9 February 1937) was an Iranian politician and judge and the founder of the modern judicial system of Iran. Biography Born in 1885

funeral File:Lorzadeh Sepahsalar Mosque Tehran.jpg, Inside view File:Sepahsalar.JPG, Sanctuary File:Sepahsalar Mosque entrance Tehran.jpg, A view of

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 ...

and

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 ...

File:مسجد سپهسالار19.jpg, Minaret File:Oldest Room in Sepahsalar High School.jpg, Oldest Room in Sepahsalar High School File:مسجد سپهسالار16.jpg, Interior dome File:مسجد سپهسالار15.jpg, Walls File:مسجد سپهسالار14.jpg,

Courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

References

External links

{{Mosques in Iran Mosques in Tehran Mosque buildings with domes Buildings of the Qajar period

Architecture

Events

Gallery

See also

References

External links