The Tarikhaneh Mosque ( fa, مسجد تاریخانه), is a Sassanid-era monument located on the southern limit of the present day city of

Damghan Damghan ( fa, دامغان, translit=Dāmghān) is the capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families. It is situated east of Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevatio ...

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 ...

History

This temple was in the pre-Islamic place of worship of the Zoroastrian and used it as a fire or temple of fire, and is about 2,300 years old. This structure was initially used as a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

Fire Temple A fire temple, Agiary, Atashkadeh ( fa, آتشکده), Atashgah () or Dar-e Mehr () is the place of worship for the followers of Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran (Persia). In the Zoroastrian religion, fire (see ''atar''), together wi ...

during the

Sassanid The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

period, however, after the fall of the Sassanid Empire it was converted into a

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 the 8th century. The monument is, thus, known as the oldest mosque in Iran.

Etymology

"Tarikhaneh" is derived from ''tari'' ("god") and ''khaneh'' ("home"), thus meaning "god's home". Other names like Tarik Khaneh (Dark House) are false.

Architecture and design

This place was in the pre-Islamic place of worship of the Zoroastrians and used it as a fire or temple of fire, and is about 2,300 years old. Before the arrival of Islam to Iran and the Qomes area, the people of this city used this place as the ritual of religious ceremonies of Zoroastrian religion. The main plan consists of a square courtyard which is surrounded by arcades of barrel vaults supported by slightly pointed fired brick arches set on rather stumpy circular pillars, typical of the

Sassanid architecture Sasanian architecture refers to the Persian architectural style that reached a peak in its development during the Sasanian era. In many ways the Sasanian Empire period (224–651 CE) witnessed the highest achievement of Iranian civilization, an ...

. The pillars are 3.5 meters tall and almost 2 meters in diameter. Standing together at a distance from the mosque are the remains of a square column of uncertain date, possibly part of the original construction period, and a cylindrical

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 ...

from the Seljuk period. The latter was built in 1026–1029 to replace an older 9th century minaret, and is strikingly divided into six zones of ornamentation, each rendered in brick with a different geometric pattern. The minaret is 4.2 meters in diameter; its top has fallen, but originally it must have measured more the 30 meters high, with a gallery supported on muqarnas corbels.

Gallery

File:Tarikhane mosque Damghan-3.jpg File:Tarikhaneh1, Damghan, Iran.jpg, A view of the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

of Tarikhaneh File:Damghan1.jpg File:Tarikhaneh2, Damghan, Iran.jpg File:Tarikhaneh, Damghan, Iran.jpg File:Damghan6.jpg File:Damghan3.jpg File:Tarikhane mosque Damghan- 2.jpg File:Tarikhaneh3, Damghan, Iran.jpg File:Tarikhane mosque Damghan.jpg

References

External links

Wikimapia EntryTarikhaneh Images
{{Semnan Province Buildings and structures in Semnan Province Fire temples Mosques in Iran Fire temples in Iran Sasanian architecture National works of Iran