The Jāmeh Mosque of Yazd ( fa, مسجد جامع یزد – ''Masjid-e-Jāmeh Yazd'') is the grand, congregational mosque ( Jāmeh) of

Yazd Yazd ( fa, یزد ), formerly also known as Yezd, is the capital of Yazd Province, Iran. The city is located southeast of Isfahan. At the 2016 census, the population was 1,138,533. Since 2017, the historical city of Yazd is recognized as a Wor ...

city, within the Yazd Province of

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 mosque is depicted on the

obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...

of the Iranian 200 rials banknote.

History

The 14th-century mosque is still in use today. It was first built under ''Ala'oddoleh Garshasb'' of the Al-e Bouyeh dynasty. The mosque was largely rebuilt between 1324 and 1365, and is one of the outstanding 14th century buildings of Iran. According to the historians, the mosque was constructed in the site of the Sassanid fire temple and Ala'oddoleh Garshasb commenced building the mosque. The previous mosque was constructed by order of Ala'oddoleh Kalanjar in 6th century A.H., however the main construction of the present building was done by order of "Seyyed Rokn al-Din Mohammad Qazi".

Specifications

The mosque is a fine specimen 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 ...

. it is a great example of the Azari style of Persian architecture. The entrance to the mosque is crowned by a pair of

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 ...

s, the highest in Iran, dating back to the Safavid era and measuring 52 meters in height and 6 meters in diameter. The entrance is decorated from top to bottom in tile work. Within is a long

arcaded An arcade is a succession of contiguous arches, with each arch supported by a colonnade of columns or piers. Exterior arcades are designed to provide a sheltered walkway for pedestrians. The walkway may be lined with retail stores. An arcade may ...

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 ...

where, behind a deep-set south-east

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 projectin ...

, is the sanctuary chamber. This chamber, under a squat tiled dome, is exquisitely decorated with tile mosaic: its tall tiled

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 ...

, dated 1365, is one of the finest of its kind in existence. On two star-shaped sgraffito tiles are the name of the craftsman and the date of construction of the

. One of the amazing attributes of the Jame Mosque of Yazd is that the lighting system is obtained indirectly by the reflection of light from the white plaster of the

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 ...

and the walls. One of the greatest features of the mansion is the square shape of the mosque which makes it look like

Kaaba The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...

. Kaaba is a holy construction in the Islamic world and is a prominent symbol in Islamic Architecture.

Gallery

Image:Mezquita del Viernes, Yazd, Irán, 2016-09-21, DD 10.jpg, The grand

of the mosque. Image:Yazd Jameh Mosque interior.jpg, Mosque interior with rich tile- and brickworks. Image:Jameh Mosque, Yazd.jpg,

Image:Jame mosque of Yazd.jpg, Ceiling artworks Image:Jame_mosque_yazd_tilework.jpg, Back entrance to the mosque Image:Freitagsmoschee_Yazd.jpeg, Jameh Mosque has the tallest portal of all mosques in Iran Image:Mezquita del Viernes, Yazd, Irán, 2016-09-21, DD 12-14 HDR.jpg, Ceiling Image:تزئینات کاشی کاری روی ورودی مسجد جامع یزد.jpg, Detail Image:Mezquita del Viernes, Yazd, Irán, 2016-09-21, DD 15.jpg, Courtyard File:Masjed-e Jomeh, Yazd.jpg, View of the entire mosque complex File:دویست ریال - سری ششم جمهوری (رو).jpg, Jameh Mosque of Yazd on the 200

Iranian rial The rial ( fa, ریال ایران, riyâl-è Irân; sign: ﷼; abbreviation: Rl (singular) and Rls (plural) or IR in Latin; ISO code: IRR) is the official currency of Iran. There is no official symbol for the currency but the Iranian standar ...

banknote (1982–2005)

References

External links

Photo GalleryArchnet entry for Jame mosque of YazdYazd Jame Mosque WebsiteYazd Jame Mosque
*High-resolution 360° Panoramas of th
Jameh Mosque of Yazd , Art Atlas
{{Yazd Province 12th-century mosques Mosques in Iran Tourist attractions in Yazd Province Buildings and structures in Yazd Mosque buildings with domes Tiling National works of Iran

History

Specifications

Gallery

See also

References

External links