The Meydan Mosque (; ) 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 ...

Kashan Kashan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Earlies ...

, 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 ...

. It is located in the southern side of the ''Sang-e Ghadimi square'' and beside the

Bazaar of Kashan Bazaar of Kashan ( ''Bāzār-e Kāshān'') is a bazaar in the center of the city of Kashan, Iran. See also *Iranian architecture * List of historical Iranian architects *History of Persian domes Buildings and structures completed in the 13th ...

. One of the oldest structures in Kashan, 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 6 January 1932, 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 ...

Architecture

The primary structure was possibly built during the

Seljuq Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

era. However, it was destroyed by the

Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...

s during their

invasions An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of ...

Later it was rebuilt and repaired by ''Khaje Emad ed-Din''. A quotation for this matter is an

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 ...

in the old

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 which it is mentioned that it is built in by ''Hassan ebn-e Arabschah'' in Kashan. The mihrab was in its original place until the last century, and it is kept now in the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin.

Jane Dieulafoy Jane Dieulafoy (29 June 1851 – 25 May 1916) was a French archaeologist, explorer, novelist, feminist and journalist. She was the wife of Marcel-Auguste Dieulafoy. She and her husband excavated the Ancient Persian city of Susa and made various d ...

described the mihrab as follows: ''Abd ol-Ghaffar Najm od-Dole'' predicted well in 1882 the future of the mihrab as follows: The mosque had in its past glorious times high

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 ...

s, a splendid inner

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 ...

space, large yard,

Shabestan A shabestan or shabistan (; is an underground space that can be usually found in traditional architecture of mosques, houses, and schools in ancient Iran. These spaces were usually used during summers and could be ventilated by windcatchers and ...

and

Howz In traditional Persian architecture, a howz () is a centrally positioned symmetrical axis Reflecting pool, pool. If in a traditional house or private courtyard, it is used for bathing, aesthetics or both. If in a sahn of a mosque, it is used for ...

hall, but despite many repairs most parts of the mosque have been destroyed. The mosque had a special social and political importance, which can be realized from many orders written above its

portal Portal may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), a series of video games developed by Valve ** ''Portal'' (video game), a 2007 video game, the first in the series ** '' Portal 2'', the 2011 sequel ** '' Portal Stori ...

. These orders date back to the 15th century in the

Kara Koyunlu The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation th ...

era until the 19th century in the

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

era. These orders include guidelines, regulations and commands about the buying and selling of goods and food stuffs with approved prices of that time and about the prohibition of gamble and acts against the

sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

. The portal of the mosque stands out because of its pure Iranian architectural techniques. The former

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

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 ...

was destroyed in 1778 in the late

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 by an

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

Notes

References

External links

{{Mosques in Iran 13th-century mosques in Asia 15th-century mosques in Iran Buildings and structures completed in 1218 Buildings and structures completed in 1463 Buildings and structures in Kashan Mosques on the Iran National Heritage List Mosque buildings with domes in Iran Mosque buildings with minarets in Iran Mosques completed in the 1210s Mosques completed in the 1460s Mosques in Isfahan province Qajar mosques Qara Qoyunlu Safavid mosques in Iran Seljuk mosques in Iran Timurid architecture