The Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn ( fa, مسجد جامع نایین – ''Masjid-e-Jāmeh Nā'īn'') is the grand,
congregational mosque (Jāmeh) of
Nā'īn city, within
Isfahān 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 ...
. Although the mosque is one of the oldest in
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 still in use and is protected by
Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization.
This mosque is perhaps one of the oldest mosques in Iran, and despite being built hundreds of years ago it still preserves its original architecture.
Arthur Pope
Arthur Upham Pope (February 7, 1881 – September 3, 1969) was an American scholar, art historian, and architecture historian. He was an expert on historical Persian art, and he was the editor of the ''Survey of Persian Art'' (1939). Pope was also ...
believed that the mosque foundation goes back to 9th century. It has a very simple plan but is still very beautiful. The mosque contains a central rectangular courtyard that is surrounded with
hypostyles on three sides. At one of these hypostyles the
mihrab of the mosque is located. The mihrab at Islamic mosque is a niche at wall that shows the direction of "Qebleh" that is the direction of Mecca the holy city that Muslims prays towards it five times daily. This mihrab has an amazingly beautiful stucco work decoration, created probably during the 9th or 10th century. Also right beside it, there as an altar made of wood with delicate wooden inlay work.
The Mosque also has a 28-meter-high minaret belonging to the Seljuk era,10th century.
Specifications
The mosque is one of the oldest in
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 ...
, dating back to the 9th century. The interiors however are Seljuki in brick craftsmanship, and therefore allude to the 11th century.
Like the ''Tarikhaneh of
Damghan'' and the ''
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'' ...
'', this mosque is
"Khorasani" in its architectural style ().
Gallery
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-external view.jpg, alt=External View, External View
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-view from minor.jpg, alt=View of courtyard from the top of minar, View of courtyard from the top of minar
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-shabestan-04.jpg, alt=Summer Shabestan, Summer Shabestan
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-Underground Shabestan-1.jpg, alt=Winter Shabestan, Winter Shabestan
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-mehrab-02.jpg, alt=Mihrab, Mihrab
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-minar.jpg, alt=Minar, Minar
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-Mehrab-01.jpg, alt=Mihrab, Mihrab
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-courtyard-2.jpg, alt=Courtyard, Courtyard
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-courtyard-3.jpg, alt=Courtyard, Courtyard
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-1.jpg
File:Jāmeh Mosque of Nā'īn-ornaments-04.jpg, alt=Ornaments, Ornaments
See also
*
Iranian 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 ...
*
List of mosques in Iran
9th-century mosques
Mosques in Isfahan Province
Buildings and structures in Isfahan Province
National works of Iran
{{Iran-mosque-stub