B.022 Northwest Iwan of Friday Mosque

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Creator

Denis Baly

Creation Year

January 1967

Image ID

B.022

Alternate Identifier

B02.022

Subcollection

B: Mosques of Isfahan

Abstract

Another view of the northwest iwan, this time from the other side, also showing a reflecting pool of water. The decoration of the muqarnas niches may also be observed more closely here. -MA

Description

A side-view of the northwest iwan of the mosque. This iwan is adjacent to the southwest iwan pictured in B.18-19, and the basin lying right in front of the southwest iwan (B.21) can be seen here as well. "Built roughly at the same time and with similar methods, the southeast and northwest iwans both have later Safavid architectural elements. However, these Safavid structural modifications are different in both, since the intervention took into consideration the kind of structure found in the adjacent area of each iwan (walls were added to the southeast iwan; piers to the northwest). The names of both iwans indicate their pedagogical roles/associations. Called the suffa of the master (Ustaz), the northwest iwan was restored fully between 1940s and the 1950s. It comprises a multitude of small brick muqarnas units, whose edges are delineated by glazed dark blue lines. Each muqarnas cluster, as it ascends, ends with a star-shaped form in which is inscribes geometric arabesques in dark blue. An inscription band of glazed tiles [note the geometric letters of Kufic calligraphy here, in contrast to the calligraphy on the southwest iwan] in yellow and white on a dark blue background runs horizontally on the three walls of the iwan, which are all made of brick." -MA

References

"Masjid-i Jami'" Archnet. Accessed April 07, 2017. https://archnet.org/sites/1621.

Image Notes

Photograph created 1967. Photograph processed September 1967. Formerly cataloged as B.02.022. Notes written on the slide or index: Friday Mosque.

Image Format

35 mm slide

Geographic Reference

Isfahan, Iran