The Hakim Mosque (; ), and also known as the Mosque Al-Hakim, is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

, located in

Esfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city has a population of approximately ...

, in the province of

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

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 mosque is located adjacent to the Isfahan Bazaar. The mosque also serves as a public building, as a

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 ...

, as a community center for functions, and an emergency shelter for travellers. Completed in , during the

Safavid The Guarded Domains of Iran, commonly called Safavid Iran, Safavid Persia or the Safavid Empire, was one of the largest and longest-lasting Iranian empires. It was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often considered the begi ...

era, it is one of the oldest mosques in the region, and was built by and named in honour of Moḥammad-Dāvud Khan Ḥakim, a Safavid court

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

, who funded the construction and fled from Isfahan to India. The mosque was added to the

Iran National Heritage List Iran National Heritage List is a register of nationally significant monuments, places, buildings, events, etc., officially registered under the National Heritage Preservation Act of 1930. According to Article 1 of this law, "All the industrial mon ...

on 13 December 1934, administered by the

Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Iran () is an educational and research institution overseeing numerous associated museum complexes throughout Iran. It is administered and funded by the Government of Iran. It was f ...

Overview

The Hakim Mosque was built over the ruins of a Deylamid mosque, known as Jorjir, that dates from the 10th century CE. Jorjir was commissioned by the Buyid minister, Sahib ibn Abbad, and portions can be seen on the northwestern part of the current mosque structure. The remaining portal of the ruined mosque was hidden for centuries and was accidentally discovered in 1957 when the wall of the Safavid mosque was washed away by rain. The portal is significant due to its intricate brickworks in the Razi architectural style, where small pieces of bricks are used to create geometrical, floral and vegetal patterns and

Kufic The Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script, that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts ...

inscriptions. These patterns consist of a combination of symbols; like five pairs of candlesticks, tulip, bird and scale patterns. The dated

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

on the northern portal recognizes Ali Beyk Banay Isfahani as the architect, and Mohammad Reza Imami as the calligrapher. This mosque is constructed in a four-porch plan (''Chahar ayvan''), and its northern and southern porches are bigger than the western and eastern ones. It holds a dome, a chamber, and two prayer halls. While the exterior view of the dome is simple brickwork, the inside area is decorated with delicate tilework. There is an intricate

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', 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'' wall". ...

in the dome chamber which is ornamented with mosaic tiles and stalactite decoration in turquoise and yellow, symbolizing the tree of life. There are two other altars in two prayer halls around the courtyard. The Hakim Mosque, located near the bazaar, was commenced in during the reign of

Shah Abbas II Abbas II (; born Soltan Mohammad Mirza; 30 August 1632 – 26 October 1666) was the seventh Shah of Safavid Iran, ruling from 1642 to 1666. As the eldest son of Safi and his Circassian wife, Anna Khanum, he inherited the throne when he was ni ...

. After making his fortune there under the grand Moghuls, Hakim Daud financed this mosque in his own name. The mosque has five different small entries and does not have a monumental entry. The mosque ''

sahn A ''sahn'' (, '), is a courtyard in Islamic architecture, especially the formal courtyard of a mosque. Most traditional mosques have a large central ''sahn'', which is surrounded by a ''Riwaq (arcade), riwaq'' or arcade (architecture), arcade on ...

'' is quite large.

References

External links

About Hakim Mosque
* * * {{Isfahan Province 17th-century mosques in the Safavid Empire Mosques on the Iran National Heritage List Mosque buildings with domes in Iran Mosques completed in the 1660s Mosques in Isfahan Religious buildings and structures completed in 1663 Safavid mosques in Iran

Overview

See also

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Further reading

External links