Goharshad Mosque

The idea of constructing a monumental mosque in the Imam Reza Shrine emerged during the Timurid Empire, when Goharshad Begum, the influential wife of Shah Rukh (r. 1405–1447 CE), sought to transform the shrine into a magnificent religious complex worthy of the dynasty's capital in Khorasan. She commissioned the celebrated architect Qavam al-Din Shirazi, one of the greatest architects of the Timurid era.^[1][2][3] Construction began in 1418 CE (821 AH) and was completed around 1430 CE (833 AH). The mosque was built in the classical Persian four-iwan style, featuring a vast courtyard, monumental iwans, a double-shelled turquoise dome, two minarets, and richly decorated mosaic tilework. The famous inscription on the southern iwan was executed by Baysunghur, the son of Goharshad and one of the greatest calligraphers of the Timurid court.^[4]

For centuries the mosque remained the principal congregational mosque of the shrine and underwent periodic repairs under the Safavids, Afsharids, Qajars, and other rulers.^[5][6] In the 1960s, the dome was deemed to be in severe structural danger, damages caused by various earthquakes over time, the 1911 Russian bombings, and the attack on the mosque by Reza Shah during the 1935 rebellion required the dome to be rebuilt. By the order of Mohammad Reza Shah, the tiles from the ancient dome were removed in the 1960s and the external shell was dismantled. A new external shell was built and the dome was re-tiled.^[7] The damaged tiles were replaced based on the original Timurid tilework, ensuring that the mosque retained its historical appearance.

Located to the south of the Imam Reza Shrine, accessed through the dar al-siyadah, the mosque is of the familiar four-iwan courtyard form. The depths of the iwans are irregular, a response to the location of existing buildings within which it was inserted. Covering an area of approximately 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft), the mosque consists of a large azure dome, two 43-metre-high (141 ft) minarets, four verandas, a sahn with seven big bed-chambers, and a large altar made of a stony dado and mosaic faience shell.^[13] The two round minarets rise from the ground and flank the southern iwan, and was an innovation in Persian architecture as minarets in Iran were previously positioned above the parapet. A blue faience dome was rebuilt with poured concrete in the 1960's, above the southern iwan.^[14] The convex part of the dome's shell is decorated with an inscription in the Kufic script.^[13]

The complete surface of the minarets, walls, and the surrounding colonnades are decorated with fine mosaic and glazed tiles produced in a variety of colors including ultramarine, turquoise, white, clear green, yellow, light yellow, and ebony.^[13] The mosque is known for its tile mosaic decoration, an art form that peaked during the Timurid period. On a high base of marble revetment, panels of enamel brick and tilework are arranged in two stories that run around the sahn, capped by a band of calligraphy designed by Baysunghur, a son of Gawhar Shad. Vivid, energetic floral patterns in tile and geometric schemes in brick are used in alternation, emphasizing the strong rhythm around the sahn.^[14]

In 1965, Arthur Pope, a scholar of Persian art described the beautiful mosque as the first and the greatest surviving Persian monument of the 15th century:^[15]

Its portal continues the Samarkand style of arch within arch, enriched by a succession of bevels and reveals that give it depth and power. The thick, tower-like minarets, merging with the outer corners of the portal screen, extend to the ground and, together with the high foundation revetment of marble, give the ensemble the impression of solidity necessary to support its exuberant color. The entire court façade is faced with enamel brick and mosaic faience of the finest quality…

• Shia Islam in Iran
• List of mosques in Iran
• Greater Khorasan
• Ali ar-Ridha
• Goharshad Mosque rebellion