Style Period
Razi, Azari, and Isfahani (style)
Seljuh, Ilkhanid, and Safavid(dynasty)
Islamic (period)
Description
partial view
Partial view of Northern Iwan( Darvish Soffeh) from central courtyard
Located in the historic centre of Isfahan, the Masjed-e J?mé (‘Friday mosque’) can be seen as a stunning illustration of the evolution of mosque architecture over twelve century, starting in ad 841. It is the oldest preserved edifice of its type in Iran and a prototype for later mosque designs throughout Central Asia. The complex, covering more than 20,000 m2, is also the first Islamic building that adapted the four-courtyard layout of Sassanid palaces to Islamic religious architecture. Its double-shelled ribbed domes represent an architectural innovation that inspired builders throughout the region. The site also features remarkable decorative details representative of stylistic developments over more than a thousand years of Islamic art.