Gar mosque and minaret

Gar mosque and minaret
Gar mosque and minaret
Religion
Affiliation	Shia Islam (former)
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Friday mosque and minaret
Status	Inactive; (mosque in partial ruins); Active (minaret);
Location
Location	Gar village, Isfahan province
Country	Iran
	Location of the monument in Iran
Geographic coordinates	32°31′17″N 51°50′25″E / 32.52135°N 51.840333°E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Abolghassem Ahmad Banna (minaret)
Type	Persian architecture
Style	Seljuk; Ilkhanid;
Completed	1121 CE (minaret)
Specifications
Minaret(s)	One
Materials	Bricks; stucco; tiles
Iran National Heritage List
Official name	Gar Friday Mosque
Type	Built
Designated	1937
Reference no.	270
Conservation organization	Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran

The Gar mosque and minaret, also known as the Monar-e-Ghar, comprise the remnants of a former Shi'ite Friday mosque, in a partial ruinous state, and an intact minaret, located in the village of Gar, in the province of Isfahan, Iran.

The structure was added to the Iran National Heritage List in 1937, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.

Overview

Mosque

The former mosque was completed during the Ilkhanid age, and its remnants comprise the former mihrab, which was decorated with stuccoes. The former mosque building is in ruins, with remnants of a wall around the mosque, which probably belongs to a structure built prior to the mosque. There does not appear to be a natural connection between the former mosque building in the north and the section to the south. For this reason, the part with the minaret on the northern side probably existed before the construction of the mosque.^[1]

The building's mihrab has suffered significant damage. Although a part of the inscription is legible, it is not possible to draw any conclusions from it. There is a name, Rashideddin Muhammad Kamil Ahmed bin lsmail, written on a destroyed panel on the wall inside the room, and a date that includes the number 6.^[1]

The south section consists of a domed bay with a square plan. Bricks of varying sizes were used for the section in front of the mihrab. These bricks came from the previous building. Decorative elements consist of cut bricks, interconnecting moldings, brick buttresses, bond courses and elements of high relief with blue and red painted glaze.^[1]

By analysis of the architectural ornamentation, Wilber dates the building from 1300 CE, at the earliest.^[2] He noted a definite similarity between the decorative panels on the mihrab and the walls, and also pointed out the difference in the shapes of some of the letters. He explains this by stating that the decorative panels on the building were placed after the building was constructed. It is most likely that the square plan room was added to the building in the Seljuk period.^[1]

The outer part of the wall surface is preserved only at the northern edge. There are small columns with slight angles to the west of the room's partial and laid-up tile surfaces. The surfaces adjacent to the partial have large, detailed bond patterns. The difference between the size of the surfaces and the way they are connected indicates that there was an earlier building.^[1]

The pillars are covered with stucco. These include the pillars of the domed bay in front of the mihrab and inner faces of the arches between the pillars. Vegetal and rumi (split-leaf) motifs were preferred.^[1]

Minaret

The minaret is located 3 metres (9.8 ft) north of the former mosque building. According to its inscription at its base, the minaret was built by Abolghassem ebn-e Ahmad and completed in 1121 CE, during the Seljuq era. The minaret is in a relatively good condition^[3] and is decorated with square Kufic inscriptions that are carved into the brick shaft.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "GAR MOSQUE (RAHRAVAN MINARET)" (translated from Turkish). selcuklumirasi.com: Architecture. 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
^ Wilber, Donald N. (1955). The Architecture of Islamic Iran: The Il-Khanid Period. New York: Greenwood Press. pp. 119–120.
^ Yaghoubi, Hosseyn (2004). Beheshti, Arash (ed.). Rāhnamā ye Safar be Ostān e Esfāhān [Travel Guide for the Province Isfahan] (in Persian). Rouzane. p. 146. ISBN 964-334-218-2.
^ Damadzadeh, Alireza (January 29, 2013). "Gar Minaret, Isfahan" (photo). World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

External links

"Gar Minaret and Mosque, Gar, Iran". www.kufic.info. Retrieved June 6, 2017.

[Selcuklumirasi-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "GAR MOSQUE (RAHRAVAN MINARET)" (translated from Turkish). selcuklumirasi.com: Architecture. 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

[2] Wilber, Donald N. (1955). The Architecture of Islamic Iran: The Il-Khanid Period. New York: Greenwood Press. pp. 119–120.

[3] Yaghoubi, Hosseyn (2004). Beheshti, Arash (ed.). Rāhnamā ye Safar be Ostān e Esfāhān [Travel Guide for the Province Isfahan] (in Persian). Rouzane. p. 146. ISBN 964-334-218-2.

[4] Damadzadeh, Alireza (January 29, 2013). "Gar Minaret, Isfahan" (photo). World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 8, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]