Fort Mosque (Masjed-e Fort)

🕰️When was it built?

The first mosque is credited to the 2nd century AH (8th century CE) and to Ahmad ibn Zamji, who took Yazd in the time of Abu Muslim Khorasani. The mosque was ruined and rebuilt several times, so the present building is not the result of a single phase. It was added to the National Heritage List on 4 January 1997 as number 1825.

🏛️What was it built for?

The mosque was built for worship, and its plan has a courtyard and an iwan. The prayer hall and the winter prayer room are its indoor spaces. The old part is built of mud brick and clay, while the rebuilt parts use fired brick, a mortar of gravel and lime, and plaster decoration.

👀What you will see

• The brick blind arches around the courtyard are framed with plaster pointing and have simple decoration.
• The walls of the prayer hall and winter room are brick up to about 1.8 metres, with plaster above.
• The stone mihrab was made of ten pieces, one of which has been lost over time; its carving is attributed to the 6th century AH (12th century CE).
• The carved wooden door has two inscriptions in Naskh script; look closely at the writing and at how the wooden panels are joined.

💡Something interesting

It is said that Imam Reza stopped at this mosque on his way to Khorasan, and so part of it is known as the Imam Reza retreat, or qadamgah. This is a story about the mosque's past and does not mean that all parts of the building are of the same age.

🎒Good to know before you go