The Jameh Mosque of Natanz is located in the city of Natanz, Isfahan province. It dates back to the Mongol Ilkhanid period and was first constructed during the reign of the Mongol ruler Öljaitü. The structure is a complex comprising a mosque, a khanqah and the tomb of Abdul Samad al-Isfahani, a prominent Sufi ascetic.
History
After Abdul Samad al-Isfahani died in 1299, his successor Shams al-Din Natanzi proposed the construction of a shrine and khanqah over his grave.[1] The vizier of Ilkhanid ruler Öljaitü, Zayn al-Din Mastari, supported his proposition and ordered construction to be carried out.[2] Inscriptions on the building date the mosque to 1304–1309, the tomb of Shaykh Abdul Samad to 1307, the khanqah to approximately 1316-1317 and the minaret to 1325.[3] A restoration in the 1970s revealed that the base of the tomb of the saint predated the mosque, and was originally a free-standing pavilion from the Buyid era, dating to the late tenth century.[4]
The religious complex as seen in the early 19th century.
Architecture
The mosque complex consists of two sections. The older section contains the main mosque, with a brick dome that dates back to the Buyid era.[6]
The oldest inscription of the monument is on the eastern side of the dome, and it records the construction as dating to the year 999. This inscription is part of the old Buyid pavilion which does not exist anymore.[7]
The eastern part of the complex is occupied by the main mosque, which has four iwans. An arched portal leads through a short flight of stairs onto a corridor, which ends in the southwestern corner of the courtyard of the mosque. The facades of the courtyard are two stories high and connect four iwans, each with different depths. Two bays at the rear of the south iwan flank the qibla wall, and lead to the shrine of Abdul Samad al-Isfahani, which is topped by a conical dome on an octagonal base.[8] The outer shell of the tomb is made from brick and turquoise tiles. The inner shell is decorated with muqarnas and stucco. The grave of the saint is within a wooden zarih, held together using mortise.[9]
The muqarnas under the conical dome of the tomb chamber
The southern facade of the mosque is made of glazed tiles in varied colours, as well as terracotta and stucco, to bring together the structures present within the mosque complex.[10] An iwan is present on the southwestern facade of the mosque. It leads to an aisle, located 1.5 metres below the floor.[11] On the right side of the aisle, a smaller one ends the shabestan of the mosque, shaped like an octagon. The mihrab of this shabestan was decorated with glazed tiles during the Qajar era.[12] On the east side of this sanctuary is the main prayer hall of the mosque.[13]
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