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Jameh Mosque of Semnan

Coordinates: 35°33′39″N 53°23′57″E / 35.56083°N 53.39917°E / 35.56083; 53.39917
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For similarly named mosques, see List of grand mosques.
Jāmeh Mosque of Semnan
مسجد جامع سمنان
The mosque in 2019
Religion
AffiliationShia Islam
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusFriday mosque
StatusActive
Location
LocationSemnan, Semnan Province
CountryIran
Jameh Mosque of Semnan is located in Iran
Jameh Mosque of Semnan
Location of the mosque in Iran
Geographic coordinates35°33′39″N 53°23′57″E / 35.56083°N 53.39917°E / 35.56083; 53.39917
Architecture
Architect(s)Khajeh Abu Saeid (dome)
TypeMosque architecture
Style
Completed
  • 7th century CE (original)
  • c. 1030s CE (mosque)
  • 1280s CE (SE shabestan)
  • 1425 CE (NE shabestan)
  • 1555 CE (renovation)
  • 1695 CE (renovation)
  • 19th century CE (renovation)
  • 1957 CE (renovation)
Specifications
Dome(s)One (maybe more)
Minaret(s)One
Minaret height28.5 m (94 ft)
MaterialsBricks; plaster; tiles
Official name
  • Jāmeh Mosque of Semnan
  • Jāmeh Mosque of Semnan Minaret
TypeBuilt
Designated6 January 1932
Reference no.163 and 162
Conservation organizationCultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran

The Jāmeh Mosque of Semnan (Persian: مسجد جامع سمنان, romanized: Masjid-e Jameh-e Semnan; Arabic: جامع سمنان) is a Shi'ite Friday mosque (jāmeh), located in the city of Semnan,[a] in the province of Semnan, Iran. It is believed that this mosque was built in the 5th century AH (11th century CE) on the ruins of a fire temple. Subsequently, there have been many changes and developments to the mosque structure, with traces of the Seljuq and Timurid eras most notable.[1][2][3]

Both the Seljuk style mosque and its minaret were added to the Iran National Heritage List on 6 January 1932, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.

History

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Sana' al-Dawla wrote in the book Mirror of the Lands: during the caliphate of Ali ibn Abi Talib, he ordered that 1001 mosques be built from Kufa to Bukhara. During the rule of Abdullah ibn Umar, the wealthy people of Semnan built the present mosque of this city, but the building did not have much splendor at that time.[citation needed]

The mosque is one of the earliest mosques built in Iran. An inscription on its minaret states that it was constructed during the governorship of Abu Harb Bakhtiar ibn Muhammad, dating it to between AH 417 (1026/1027 CE) and AH 426 (1034/1035), making the minaret the oldest extant part of the mosque complex. The mosque was later expanded during the Ilkhanate and Timurid periods.[4][5]

Architecture

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The mosque is situated inside the city bazaar, and its main entrance is on the north side from Imam Street. Another entrance is found on the east side from the bazaar. Rectangular in plan, the mosque is oriented southwest-northeast and centers on a 25-by-27-metre (82 by 89 ft) sahn. Each side of the sahn has a different plan. On the west side sits a large qibla iwan leading onto a domed chamber. The three other sides are occupied by hypostyle prayer halls of varying layouts. The minaret is located in the northeast corner.[4]

The qibla iwan is made of brick and measures 21 metres (69 ft) high by 105 metres (344 ft) wide. Its inscription indicates that it was built in AH 828 (1424/1425) by a Timurid minister. The dome chamber behind the iwan is 14.5 metres (48 ft) high. The mihrab is located on the western wall of this hall.[4]

The prayer hall on the southeastern side of the sahn is three aisles wide and nine bays deep, with a mihrab on its western wall. Sixteen columns support it. An inscription dates this space to the reign of Arghun Khan. The prayer hall on the northeastern side of the sahn is square in plan and rests on sixteen columns in four rows of four. A the back of the hall, one of the bays is closed off into an octagonal vestibule from which the entry from the Hazrat bazaar opens. This prayer hall also has an entrance to the minaret.[4][5]

The brick minaret is a tapering cylindrical shaft that is 28.5 metres (94 ft) high[b] and sits on tall cylindrical base. It was renovated in the Safavid era, when a ma'azanah resting on a muqarnas cornice was built. Like other minarets of the Seljuk period, it was originally detached from the mosque. As the minaret tapers near the top with a diameter of 5.5 metres (18 ft), there is an octagonal balcony and a Safavid-style handrail. The minaret is further decorated with brick geometric designs and rough Kufic scripts.[4][5]

The mosque is constructed of brick. Within the prayer halls, the columns are also brick, and the vaults are stuccoed. The great iwan is ornamented with elaborate brickwork, two polychrome inscriptions, and a tile band. Tilework is also found in the east entrance.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Sometimes spelled as Simnan.
  2. ^ One source reports the minaret as 31.2 metres (102 ft) high.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Encyclopaedia of the Iranian Architectural History". Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran. May 19, 2011. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019.
  2. ^ "Jameh Mosque of Semnan". en.tripyar.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  3. ^ "Jameh Mosque of Semnan". Tasnim News Agency. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Masjid-i Jami' (Simnan)". ArchNet.org. n.d. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Tranquility amidst history: Jameh Mosque welcomes travelers to Semnan". Tehran Times. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  6. ^ "Semnan Jame Mosque". Iran Tourism and Touring Organization. 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.

Further reading

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  • Finster, Barbara (1994). Frühe Iranische Moscheen (in German). Berlin: D. Reimer. pp. 231–233.
  • Godard, André (1965). The Art of Iran. New York: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers.
  • Ḥājjī-Qāsimī, Kāmbīz, ed. (1996). Ganjnāmah-i farhang-i ās̲ār-i miʻmārī-i Islāmī-i Īrān (in Persian). Vol. 7. Tehran: Dānishgāh-i Shahīd Bihishtī. pp. 182-187 [English text: 14-19].
  • Hillenbrand, Robert (2000). Islamic Architecture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 104, 491.
  • Pope, Arthur Upham (1965). Persian Architecture: The Triumph of Form and Color. New York: George Braziller. p. 80.
  • Pope, Arthur Upham (1997). A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. Vol. III. Tehran: Soroush Press. p. 1036.
  • Wilber, Donald N. (1955). The Architecture of Islamic Iran. The Il Khanid Period. New York: Greenwood Press. p. 183.
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