Tabriz: Blue Mosque, 1465, detail of portal
Date
Authors
Pope, Arthur Upham
Photographer: Arthur Llewellyn Basham
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Abstract
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Its patron was Saliha Khanun, the daughter of Jahanshah. This is one of the few completely roofed mosques of Persia, a necessity in the severe climate of Tabriz. The architect, according to the portal inscription, was Nimat Allah ibn Muhammad Bawvab. Severe earthquakes have caused the collapse of the dome and minarets, but this does not reflect on the structural design. With its new kinds of polychrome ornament, of fresh and beautiful use of colour and exquisite workmanship, rivalled mosque of Gawhar Shad. The Timurid influence shows in the long (170 feet) facade, terminating in round corner towers that originally carried very high minarets. The richly decorated half-dome portal leads into an octagonal domed sanctuary (52 feet in diameter) which was carried on eight arches. Across the front of the sanctuary is a domed corridor and similar corridors run along each side of the sanctuary, making more space for worshippers. In the rear is another sanctuary which may have been meant for a tomb changer. In all, there were nine domes.
Keywords
Mediaeval architecture, architecture, mosaics & inlays, book scan
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Type
Image
Archives Series
Date created
1965
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This image is provided for research purposes only and must not be reproduced without the prior permission of the Archives Program, Australian National University.
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