Masjede Jame of Isfahan, Isfahan Jameh Mosque

Masjede Jame of Isfahan, Isfahan Jameh Mosque

Masjede Jame of Isfahan or Isfahan Jame Mosque

Located in the historical center of Isfahan, the Friday mosque known as the "Great Mosque", the "Old Mosque" or "Masjed-e Jāme" is a remarkable religious building in Iran. Isfahan Jame Mosque is a building with a complex and authentic architecture decorated with Islamic arts.

Dating back to the 9th century, the Friday mosque has undergone many modifications and restorations over the centuries, especially during the reign of the Safavids. However, the oldest elements of the construction date from the ninth century, at the time of the Abbasids, nowadays, the mosque has an Iranian plan with four iwans, including a dome-shaped prayer room, lined with arcades on two levels and surrounded by many small rooms. For twelve centuries, several dynasties, from Seljuk to Qajars, brought their little touches on the architecture of Isfahan jame Mosque and now It reflects the changing styles of Islamic Iran. According to the experts, a badly oriented Arab mosque was built instead of a Sasanian temple. The Jame Mosque of Isfahan has been subsequently modified by the Abbasids who had to rebuild parts of the mosque. From the tenth to the twelfth century, the Seljuks added four iwans and two domes, and then the Bouyides had built columns. In the 14th century, the Mozaffarids expanded the eastern part and the Timurid (14th-15th century) and the Safavids (16th-18th century) the western part. Finally, the Qadjars added the main entrance.

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The peculiarities of construction

The Abbasid elements date back to 841, making Isfahan jame Mosque the oldest building of its kind in Iran. This 2-hectare building is also the first to combine Islamic architecture with the architecture of Sassanid palaces, including a four-iwan courtyard. The ribbed cupolas with two hulls served as models for other constructions in the region. Over the of 12 centuries, Isfahan jame Mosque has undergone enlargement work, architectural experiments and decorations of all kinds at different times, demonstrating the development and evolution of Islamic art. Its historical and artistic importance is such that it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. Today, if renovations or reconstructions are planned, they must be carefully studied, in order to preserve the heritage and technical framework. During the course of history, it was almost destroyed, in this case by a fire in the twelfth century and following an air strike in 1984. The reconstruction had to respect specific standards and use traditional materials and worked by real skilled craftsmen. To preserve its authenticity, Isfahan jame Mosque must continue to be a place of prayer, and the surrounding setting and the historical bazaar of Isfahan must also remain intact.

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