Haj Shokrallah Mosque

🕰️When was it built?

The mosque survives from the Ilkhanid period and joined Iran's National Heritage List on 15 June 2002 as number 5807. Its first restoration phase began in August 2017, including stabilising stucco decoration, underpinning and repairing the walls.

🏛️What was it built for?

The building was made for prayer and worship, with a square room rising to a domed roof. To support the dome on the walls, the upper part was changed to an octagon. Inside, follow this transition from the room's corners to the dome, an architectural problem the builders had to solve.

👀What you will see

• Windows alternate around the building and have pierced plaster decoration; notice the shapes of the openings and the light passing through.
• Beneath the dome, alternate sides of the octagonal section have muqarnas; look above the walls for their recessed tiers.
• Decorative blind arches line the sides, giving the interior walls a repeated pattern.
• Restoration brickwork at the entrance uses Qazaqi bricks, a different material from the mosque's mud-brick body.

🎒Good to know before you go

• Ask about access before going inside to see the pierced windows.
• Tarikhaneh Mosque is nearby, so you can include both in a historic walk around Damghan.