Seyyed Mosque
A view of the mosque from the yard outside
Religion
Affiliation	Twelver Shi'ite
Province	Isfahan Province
Year consecrated	1825
Status	Semi-incomplete structure, still active for prayers
Location
Location	Isfahan, Iran
Municipality	Isfahan
Shown within Iran
Geographic coordinates	32°39′53″N 51°39′50″E / 32.664722°N 51.663889°E / 32.664722; 51.663889
Architecture
Type	mosque
General contractor	Probably Mohammad Bagher Shafti
Completed	late 19th century or early 20th century
Specifications
Dome(s)	2
Materials	brick, cement, concrete tiling

Seyyed Mosque ( Persian: مسجد سید) is a historic 19th-century mosque located in Isfahan, Iran. ^[1] It was built during the rule of the Qajar dynasty, by the Shi'ite cleric Mohammad Bagher Shafti, one of the first clerics to receive the rank of Hujjatul Islam. ^[2] The mosque itself is active, but its construction is not entirely complete. ^{[2] [3]}

History

Construction of the mosque started in the year 1825. ^[2] It was built over an older plot of land planned for a mosque that was formerly owned by Safavid ruler, Soltan Hoseyn, but a mosque could not be built there until the Qajar era due to the invasion of Nader Shah Afshar and Hotaks. ^{[4] [2]} After the death of Mohammad Bagher Shafti, only the tiling of the southern part of the mosque had been completed. ^[5] He was buried in the northeastern section of the mosque as well. The grandson of the cleric and subsequent descendants assisted in continuing the construction of the mosque. ^[5] Inscriptions date the whole construction process to be around 130 years, divided into four stages. ^{[2] [5]} In the modern age, the mosque was damaged during the Iran-Iraq war. ^[2] It was then neglected due to disputes amongst the remaining family of Bagher Shafti. ^[1] In 2023, restoration and renovation works were planned to be carried out. ^[1]

Architecture

The plan and base of the Seyyed Mosque is generally a rectangular shape. ^[4] The mosque has two domes, the smaller, northeastern one over the mausoleum of Mohammad Bagher Shafti and his family. ^{[5] [3]} The mosque has four main iwans leading to it, as well as a lot of corridors within the structure. ^{[5] [2] [3]} The exterior of the mosque is enhanced with Qajar-era decorative tiling. ^{[5] [4] [3]}

The mosque does not have a minaret. ^{[2] [4] [5] [3]} Instead, it has a tall clock tower, located behind one of the iwans. In general, the architecture of the mosque, especially the window design ^[2] is student-friendly, so that it could be used as a school or madrasah in the 19th century as well. ^[2]

Gallery

• 
  Seyyed Mosque at night
• 
  A closeup of one of the entrances of Seyyed Mosque
• 
  Qajar-era decorative tilework
• 
  The tomb of Bagher Shafti, enclosed by a metal zarih
• 
  One of the musalla rooms in the mosque, with a fine mihrab preserved

See also

• List of mosques in Iran
• List of historical structures in Isfahan

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seyyed Mosque (Isfahan).