Shah Mosque

Masjed-e Shah at night.

View of the square and background edifices.

Imam Mosque is a mosque in Isfahan, Iran standing in south side of Naghsh-i Jahan square. Built during the Safavid period, an excellent example of Islamic Architecture in Persia(Iran). This mosque was constructed during the Safavid period, in 1611 with seven-color mosaic tiles and valuable inscriptions. The portal of the mosque measuring 27 meters high, crowned with two minarets being 42 meters in height, frames the front of the mosque which opens into Naqsh-e Jahan square. On top of the entrance, among the stalactites and above the turquoise lattice window, there is a frame of seven-color mosaic tile shaped like a vase with two peacocks on both sides which is an example of mosaic tile. The inscription above the entrance being made of white mosaic tile on ultramarine background, is written in Sols script by Alireza Abbasi. The wooden door of the mosque, covered with layers of gold and silver, is ornamented with some poems written in Nasta'liq script. The overall entrance hall proves the mastery of the designer of the building. The master architect has designed two passageways being different in length on both sides of the hall to assimilate the axis of the mosque to the direction of kiblah which has an angle of 45 degrees, to cover the change of direction without losing the proportions.

The Mosque is surrounded with four iwans and arcades. All the walls are ornarnented with seven-color mosaic tile. The iwan of the mosque is the one which is toward kiblah measuring 33 meters high and has two minarets being 48 meters high. Behind this iwan is a space which is roofed with the most enormous dome of the city being 52 meters high. The dome consists of two covers. The outer cover is 12 meters away from the inner one. There are two schools for religious education at the southwest and southeast of the mosque. The southwest school has an inscription from the Safavid period. There is also an indicator stone, inserted in the inscription, the shape of which is right-angled triangle. This stone shows the mid-day of all the days of the year scientifically in a simple way. The mosque has two halls in the east and west part of its interior. The eastern hall is bigger but its walls are covered with plaster without any ornamentation while the walls and ceiling of the western hall are covered with seven-color mosaic tiles. The mihrab of this hall has an inscription written by the master artist, Mohammad Reza Emami. Of the other valuable things in the mosque we can mention the water stones. There are also two water stones under the domes of the eastern and western ivans but the most precious is the western Chehel Sotoun shows the date of its creation, 1684.