Comments on: The Mysterious North Dome of Esfahan’s Great Mosque

By: In the Tower of Babel « Freelance

In the Tower of Babel « Freelance — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 09:03:36 +0000

[...] Interestingly, Wasma’a mentions 1122 CE as construction date of the iwans, i.e., after Assassin rebels had set the mosque on fire in 1121. She also mentions that the iwans were re-decorated in 1800. In fact, restoration and repair of the [...]

By: Polygons « Freelance

Polygons « Freelance — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:15:19 +0000

[...] Alpay Özdural’s proof that the mysterious North Dome of Esfahan’s Great Mosque is based on Omar Khayyām’s [...]

By: Decagonal Tesselations « Freelance

Decagonal Tesselations « Freelance — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:23:34 +0000

[...] The western iwan is the most unusual and complex of all. While all iwans had been added to the Seljuq mosque after a fire pillaged by the Hashashiyyin sect in 1121 CE, their decorations are from the Timurid and early or even late Safavid periods (late 15th till early17th century) [1]. The western iwan and its counterpart to the east are called the sofe of the student (shāgird) and master (ustadh), respectively. Although both iwans were built at the same time as the southern iwan (early 12th century), both of them are, “in their visible shape, late Safavid works of the seventeenth and, in case of the west one, even early eighteenth centuries”, as Grabar in his book about the Great Mosque writes [2]. So, while dating of the specific decorations may be highly problematic if the artisan had not signed his work, there is constantly restoration work which will inevitably change the appearance of the ‘living monument’ over time. More information about Esfahan’s Great Mosque, its amazing history and stunning architecture, can be found here. [...]

By: Freelance

Freelance — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:06:00 +0000

[...] [3] One major building in Esfahan’s old city is the gorgeous Masjed Jomeh. Oleg Grabar has raised, in his lecture series and subsequent publication (Grabar O. The Great Nosque of Isfahan. New York University Press, New York 1992, p. 18), the question of whether the mosque, which seems not to have a defined border, was invading the city during the centuries or whether in fact the city absorbed the mosque. The interlocking of all aspects of daily life in an organic fabric is obvious here. Further information about the mosque can be found here. [...]