The Jameh Mosque of Atigh () is a

Shi'ite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood to ...

Friday mosque, located in

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

, the capital of the province of Fars,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The 9th-century mosque is the oldest mosque in Shiraz, and was built in celebration of the conquest of Shiraz by Amir ibn al-Layth of the Saffarid dynasty in and was completed in . The mosque has been restored many times; and most of the present day structure a four-

iwan An iwan (, , also as ''ivan'' or ''ivān''/''īvān'', , ) 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 ...

courtyard mosque dates from the 17th century. In the center of the mosque's '' sahn'' is the ''Khuda Khane'' (). Commissioned by Inju'id ruler Mahmud Shah (1325-1336) in 1351 for the storage of Qur'ans, this small kiosk is also known as ''Bayt al-Mashaf'' (). Both the mosque and ''Khuda Khane'' are aligned with

qibla The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...

slightly east of south.

Overview

The Atigh Jameh Mosque is located to the east of Shah Cheragh Shrine. Its various nocturnal areas ( Shabestans) feature beautiful tile works on their ceilings. In the southern part of this mosque, there is a wall called “Nodbeh” which features a colourful depiction of a cedar. It is believed that on the night of Miraj,

Buraq The Buraq ( "lightning") is a supernatural equine-esque creature in Islamic tradition that served as the mount of the Islamic prophet Muhammad during his Isra and Mi'raj journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and up through the heavens and back by ...

passed from this wall. The north gate, known as the "Imam Gate", is decorated with

Muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

tiles. The main structure was completed in the 9th century. In the 11th century, two

s were added; and during the 12th century, the main prayer hall, dome, '' sahn'', and

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

were completed. The southern and western iwans and arcades were added during the 17th century; and major renovations and expansions were finalised in the latter part of the 18th and early 20th centuries. The mosque, including "''Khuda Khane''", were both added to the Iran National Heritage List on 6 January 1932, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.

Architecture

Construction of the Friday Mosque of Shiraz was completed in 895 CE during the reign of Saffarid ruler, Amir ibn al-Layth (878-900 CE). It was rebuilt, restored, and expanded various times thereafter; including substantive modifications, predominately during the 17th century. Damaged by numerous earthquakes, it was repaired and restored extensively after 1935.

''Khuda Khane''

The kiosk known as ''Khuda Khane'' consists of a rectangular core, with a

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior Long gallery, gallery or corridor, often on an upper level, sometimes on the ground level of a building. The corridor is open to the elements because its outer wall is only parti ...

of three arched bays on each side, with solid circular towers projecting at the outer corners. The ensemble is raised on a marble platform. Of the original structure, only the towers, the platform and the ruined inner walls remained, as of the early twentieth century. It was rebuilt between 1937 and 1954 by the Archaeological Service of Iran based on the original design. Elongated on the north-south axis, the rectangular core of the ''Khuda Khane'' contains a square hall with four central doorways, and a small vestibule to its north housing a spiral staircase for roof access. The four doorways on its exterior three for the square hall and one leading into the vestibule are flanked by engaged columns and topped with flat muqarnas crowns. The core, which measures approximately , is enveloped by loggias to the east, west and north. The southern loggia, which faces the mosque

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

, is wide. The twelve pointed arches of the veranda are carried on marble columns with bulbous bases and muqarnas capitals and square columns built into the corner towers. The arches of the east and west loggias are slightly wider; they are separated with rectangular panels resting on two pairs of columns at the center. A muqarnas

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

wraps around the loggia arcades and the corner towers below the flat roof. The ''Khuda Khane'' is built of rubble masonry and clad entirely with alternating square and rectangular panels of cut stone. It is adorned with a wide tile band below the muqarnas cornice containing a white ''

Thuluth ''Thuluth'' (, ' or , '; , ''Sols''; Turkish: ''Sülüs'', from ' "one-third") is an Arabic script variety of Islamic calligraphy. The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new script by curved and oblique lines. In ''Thuluth'', ...

'' inscription on a blue background with floral arabesques. The sides of the base platform are carved in relief with floral medallions. The date of construction is seen on the southeast tower.

Gallery

Atiq Jameh Mosque of Shiraz, Iran 1999 VB 01.jpg, The mosque dome Jameh Mosque of Atigh.jpg, The mosque at night Ali 0504.jpg, The mosque '' sahn'',

, and

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

s Ali 0503.jpg, ''Khuda Khane'' Atigh mosque.jpg, Tiled interior

muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

on the northern iwan

Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{Mosques in Iran 9th-century mosques 14th-century mosques in Iran 17th-century mosques in the Safavid Empire Buildings and structures completed in 1351 Mosques on the Iran National Heritage List Mosque buildings with domes in Iran Mosque buildings with minarets in Iran Mosques completed in the 1350s Mosques in Shiraz Religious buildings and structures completed in the 890s Shia mosques in Iran Atigh