Preview
Creation Year
1967
Image ID
BC.063
Alternate Identifier
B45.354
Subcollection
BC: Around Isfahan and Tabrik Area
Abstract
Detail from pier in the Blue Mosque, showing a tile mosaic against unglazed brick.
Description
The Blue Mosque (other names are the Masjid-i-Kabud, Masjid-e-Muzaffariyah, and Goy Masjid) was constructed at Tabriz in 1465 under the patronage of Saliha Khanum, the daughter of Jahan Shah Qara Qoyunlu. It is one of the few completely roofed mosques in Iran, a result of the harshly cold climate of Tabriz. The mosque was known within Iran as the “Firuzeh-e-Islam” or the Turqoise of Islam, because of the incredibly rich decoration that sheathes the mosque, predominantly in dark blue. Lisa Golombek and Donald Wilber are of the opinion that “the mosaic faience decoration displays a mastery of the decorative arts never surpassed in later monuments.” The dome and the minarets have since been destroyed by a great earthquake in 1976.
Image Notes
Photograph created May 1967. Photograph processed September 1967. Formerly catalogued as B45.354. Notes written on the slide or index: Tabriz.
Image Format
35 mm slide
Geographic Reference
Tabriz, Iran
Keywords
Fifteenth Century, Turkman, Mosque, Tiles, Mosaic, Piers, Stone, Brick, Masonry, Dome Chamber
Rights Statement
