Atiq Jameh Mosque of Shiraz

🕰️When was it built?

The first mosque here dates from 281 AH (894), in the time of Amr ibn Layth of the Saffarid dynasty. The Khoda-khaneh was added in 752 AH (1351) on the order of Abu Eshaq Inju. The mosque was restored many times later, and the inscription over the north entrance records a rebuilding in 1031 AH (1622), in the Safavid era.

🏛️What was it built for?

The mosque was both a place of worship and a place where people gathered. The Khoda-khaneh was built for scribes and reciters of the Quran, and copies of the Quran were kept in it. Standing in the middle of the courtyard, it had a different role from the prayer halls around it.

👀What you will see

• The Khoda-khaneh is built of stone and plaster, with pierced stone screens on both sides of its central room.
• Above the Khoda-khaneh run thuluth inscriptions in praise of the Quran, and its north door has khatam inlay work.
• The north portal has tiled muqarnas, and the names of the twelve Imams appear on the tile inscriptions on either side.
• The Taq-e Morvarid (Pearl Arch) on the north side has two minarets, and its ceiling is covered with brick muqarnas.
• In the south prayer hall, a thirteen-step wooden minbar stands beside the mihrab, with two spiral stone columns on either side.

💡Something interesting

When pilgrim caravans spent a long time on the road to Mecca, the Khoda-khaneh and the mosque courtyard were also used to teach the Hajj rituals in practice. The building in the middle of the courtyard stood in for the Kaaba during these lessons.