Jameh Mosque of Qazvin

A thousand-year-old serenity reigns over the beautiful Iranian mosques that entice just everyone with their plain sublimity. Jameh Mosque of Qazvin, located in “Dabaghan” neighborhood is a safe haven for the believers and an unparalleled treasury of Iranian artistry of the Islamic period.

A majestic portal in Qazvin’s Sepah Street welcomes thousands of visitors to the mosque. Upon entering the open portal, your eyes meet the vestibule of the mosque which is decorated consummately with the art of muqarnas. The geometric tilework of the ceiling creates a nexus of patterns known as Bannai script.

Going past the vestibule, one encounters a lonely mulberry tree in a large hall. The blue sky has a peculiar symmetry with the entrance, arches and the delicate tilework of the mosque. Light enters the mosque through the latticed windows on the wall of the eastern Iwan and creates an extraordinary atmosphere. In addition, the ceiling with Shamseh ornamentation and azure tileworks gives a palatial look to the building.

 

Two entrances in the northern and southern side lead you to the enchanting courtyard of the mosque. A hexagonal marble fountain pool and its surrounding gardens full of mulberry and elm trees invite the visitors with their fresh and lush appearance to chat under their shadows or simply sit and enjoy the stillness and peacefulness of this magnificent edifice.

 

The two-story southern Iwan at Jameh Mosque of Qazvin whose ceiling height is about 14m is more spacious than the other Iwans. Gonbadkhaneh (the dome of the mosque together with its lower space) is located at the back of the Iwan and is adorned with white and azure tiles.

Inside the Gonbadkhaneh, the Iranian masters and artisans have demonstrated their mesmerizing craftsmanship by creating stunning works of calligraphy (Thuluth and Nastaʿlīq and script) in the form of stuccos.

 

The Iwan was built during the reign of Malik-Shah I (1055-1092) of Seljuk dynasty. One of the worst atrocities committed during Moqul invasion of Iran took place here where thousands of people of the city who had taken refuge in Jameh Mosque of Qazvin were brutally murdered and the Iwan was set on fire. Later though, at the time of Safavid and Qajar kings the building was renovated by applying decorative tilework and Moaragh (Iranian handicraft involving fine pieces of tiles put together to form a special design) throughout the edifice.

 

The northern Iwan with two towering minarets was built by the Safavid monarch, Tahmasp I (1514-1576). The Goldastehs of the minarets however are the work of Qajar artists who have graced the minarets with supreme works of muqarnas. The Iwan was further restored and embellished by the order of Baghir Khan Sadosaltaneh, the mayor of Qazvin under Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (1848-1896). The eastern Iwan was also constructed during his rule. The western Iwan though, built in Safavid era, has lost much of its decorative façade.

 

According to some experts Jameh Mosque of Qazvin was founded on the ruins of a Sassanid (the last monarchy to rule over Persia (422-651) before the rise of Islam) fire temple which was situated on the ground of the southern Iwan. However, there are also remains that suggest the existence of an older mosque. These include the famous Haruni Arch (named after Harun al-Rashid (763-809), one of Abbasi caliphates) in one of the eastern chambers.

 

Qazvin Jameh in Mosque (also known as Atiq Mosque) has been enticing the people from all around the world with its artistic sublimity and religious serenity. In other words, Qazvin Jameh Mosque is there for anyone who seeks a place of worship or a museum brimming with millions of souls who have walked, prayed or shed tears upon its consecrated ground.

 

8/31/2023 11:58:00 PM