Jameh Mosque of Isfahan
The courtyard of the Friday Mosque of Isfahan
The Friday Mosque of Isfahan (Persian مسجد جامع اصفهان, IPA: mæsd͡ʒɛd ɛ ɛ d͡ʒɑmɛ ɛsfɑhɑn ) is a historical mosque in Isfahan. The mosque is called as a museum of 1,300 years of development of Iranian architecture. Because of excavations, it became clear that the mosque on older buildings of the earlier pre-Islamic period has been built. After the discovery of the foundations of a Sassanid fire temple is believed that the mosque was built on a Sassanid fire temple.
The part of the mosque was the ( Schabestan with columns ), it was built in the year 772. Mihrab and a large part of the wall of the mosque predecessor with extraordinary stucco elements have been discovered under the floor of the southern Schabestans the current mosque. In the year 840, the old mosque was destroyed and built a large mosque on it. According to the findings of historians, the mosque was in that era were the largest scientific center of the city and had a great library, which contained a large number of scientific books. In their Schabestan classes took place. In the tenth century, in the era of Deylamiten, some extensions have been created and the columns of the facade covered with decorative glazed tiles. In the eleventh century thorough changes were made in the architecture of the mosque and the new mosque was built with the Four - Iwan - courtyard. In the years 1080 and 1088 beautiful domes ( Nesamolmolk dome and Tadscholmolk Dome) were grown on the southern and northern part of the mosque. From this point on mosques were essential feature for the architecture of the mosques in Iran with a four- Ivan courtyard.
The area of the Friday Mosque of Isfahan is 2 ha, it is the largest mosque in Iran.