Tiles of Infinity
When Peter J. Lu visited Uzbekistan as a Harvard University graduate student in 2005, he found himself unexpectedly captivated by the complex tile patterns of a 15-th century Madrasa, or Islamic religious school,…
Walls of Isfahan
Related articles Imam (Shah) Mosque in Isfahan, Iran (islamic-arts.org) Jameh Mosque of Isfahan (islamic-arts.org) Sheikh Lutf Allah Mosque (islamic-arts.org) schematic Isfahan Imam square iwan isfahan quranic ornament arabic mosaic
Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
The Jāmeh Mosque of Isfahān (Persian: مسجد جامع اصفهان – Masjid-e-Jāmeh Isfahān) is the grand, congregational mosque (Jāmeh) of Isfahān city, within Isfahān Province, Iran. The mosque is the result of continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations on the site…
The Room of Sultan Uljeitu
The Room of Sultan Muhammad Khodabandeh Uljeitu (r. 1304-17) in the Jameh Mosque (Isfahan), is home to one of the mosque’s greatest treasures – an exquisite stucco mihrabawash with dense Quranic inscriptions and floral designs….
Imam (Shah) Mosque in Isfahan, Iran
Built during the Safavid period, it is an excellent example of Islamic architecture of Iran, and regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian Architecture. The Shah Mosque of Esfahan is one of…
Sheikh Lutf Allah Mosque
Sheikh Lutf Allah Mosque (Persian: مسجد شیخ لطف الله Masjed-e Sheikh Lotf-ollāh) is one of the architectural masterpieces of Safavid Iranian architecture, standing on the eastern side of Naghsh-i Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran….
Jameh Mosque, Yazd, Iran
Situated adjacent to the center of the town of Yazd, the complex of the Friday mosque of Yazd was founded in the twelfth century; however, what stands on the site today is the…
Safavid Palaces
Most of the palaces, pavilions, and villas built in the Safavid period have not survived. Many were destroyed, especially during the Afghan conquest of Isfahan in 1722. Others were neglected and left to…
DOME IN IRANIAN ARCHITECTURE
The Sasanian and early Islamic periods The dome on squinches first appeared in Persia in the Sasanian period in the palace at Fîrûzâbâd (q.v.) in Fârs and at nearby Qal´a-ye Dokhtar, both erected…
Meidan-i-Chah ou Place Royale, Ispahan; Ispahan, Meidan-i-Shah
The wide expanse of the Maydan was created as a polo ground by Shah Abbas soon after he moved his capital to Ispahan in the early 1600s. On the far side is the…
The Mosque in the Medieval Islamic World
Why study the mosque? For historians of architecture and culture alike, the answer is gratifyingly simple. This is the Islamic building par excellence, and as such the key to Islamic architecture. Moreover,…
Islamic Art Belongs As Much To The Present As To The Past
by Titus Burckhardt For the contemplative man a lesson can be learned from everything. (Sufyan al-Thawri) The art of Islam is essentially a contemplative art, which aims to express above all, an encounter…
