Isfahan Old Grand Mosque, a work that should be recognized anew

Shahram Amiri – the senior expert on cultural heritage and tourism of Isfahan province wrote in a note: The valuable complex of Isfahan Old Grand Mosque is located in the heart of the historical and ancient context of Isfahan and the formation of its structures dates back to the end of the first century of the Hijri to the thirteenth century of the lunar calendar. Apart from the ancient history of this area of ​​Isfahan, the dense urban fabric including the market and winding neighborhoods around the mosque, today is a reminder of different historical periods in which this complex was gradually formed. Although the creation of the underpass and the construction of Atiq Square, which today is known as Imam Ali (AS) Square, and of course it was accompanied by many ups and downs, it was able to partially open the knot of the compactness of the city of Isfahan in this area, but still this A part of the city of Isfahan needs a lot of renovation from the point of view of urban development and even its appearance.

While the huge and historical complex of Jame Atiq Mosque of Isfahan is like a jewel in the center of the Grand Bazaar and the old neighborhoods of Sabzeh Maidan, but the old bazaar of Isfahan, which is more than a thousand years old, and some historical passages around this huge complex, in addition to the compactness of the fabric, The dilapidation and inconsistency of the architecture of a part of the neighborhoods and the market (which is gradually improving) is facing many problems, including the lack of urban services such as toilets, such that these deficiencies have now caused this huge religious and Historically, as the first mosque in the entire Islamic world, which has been included in the world heritage list, it should become a center for the cleaning of the marketers and customers of this huge market, so now, in the first place, there is a great need to create sanitary facilities around this historic mosque. In order to reduce the pressure on the worn-out water supply and sewage disposal system of this historic mosque, it is felt.

Undoubtedly, every historical building must have a function to continue its life, and one of the most important functions of historical mosques is to perform religious duties in them. Fortunately, the performance of religious duties in this historical and religious building has continued for more than a thousand years and has in some way caused the cultural and civilizational life of this valuable work. The historical and religious complex is the first mosque in the entire Islamic world that has been registered in the list of human heritage, therefore, the performance of religious duties in this religious historical building must be accompanied by requirements such as teaching the principles of protection of this building to the servants of the complex and people who come to worship and They visit this mosque to perform their religious duties. Today, some religious rituals of Isfahan are held in this mosque, however, it seems that the implementation of worldly and religious rituals is appropriate to the age of the mosque, as well as providing suitable conditions for worshipers to take advantage of this beautiful and spiritual space, including the use of the arts. Handcrafted and traditional in Isfahan, as well as the use of clean carpets suitable for this historical space, the use of clean and hygienic seals and the making of artistic seal holders, the use of a suitable library to store holy books such as the Quran and religious prayers, the need to use a sound system. Suitable for protecting the body of the building and its decorations, especially the tiles of the mosque, as well as the necessity of constant cleaning of this valuable space in order to preserve its sanctity is felt today more than ever.

And why is the protection of the ancient Grand Mosque of Isfahan of special importance?! In response to this question, it should be said that Isfahan Old Grand Mosque, along with other mosques such as Ardestan Shahr Grand Mosque, Nain Shahr Grand Mosque, and Damghan Historical Grand Mosque are among the oldest historical mosques in Iran.

Jame Atiq Mosque of Isfahan was built in the vicinity of one of the oldest centers of civilization formation in the Great Plain of Isfahan, that is, in Joibare neighborhood, which is more than 3 thousand years old, so that during the excavations conducted by Iranian and European archaeologists, including From the middle of the 60s onwards, Italian scientists have discovered more than one million pieces of different historical objects belonging to different historical periods before and after Islam in this area of ​​Isfahan city. .

However, the philosophy of the construction and expansion of Isfahan’s Jame Atiq Mosque itself has a detailed story, such that the foundations of this historic mosque go back to the end of the first and the beginning of the second century of the Hijri, and then during ten periods of civilization from the same thirteenth century of the Hijri. We witness the development and expansion of this historical mosque during different periods of Iran’s history in the Islamic era, in such a way that in the works of various researchers, tourists and orientalists, including the travelogue of Nasser Khosrow Qabadiani in the fourth century AH, about this historical mosque and the historical market around it. It is known as the old market of Isfahan.

With this description, the location of this huge historical mosque shows the true love and mania of the ancestors for the only almighty creator of existence, who humbly and lovingly built it brick by brick, even during the days of the Hound attack, the desertion of the Turks, the Mongols, the bloody attacks of the Timurids, etc. Foreigners put them together and today they have created one of the most beautiful, huge and magnificent historical and religious buildings not only in Iran but in the whole world.

Or this description of this huge historical building with more than one thousand two hundred and eighty years old, along with its religious characteristics, is a clear indication of the cultural effort of the ancestors.

So let’s try to be the proper guardians of these valuable works like the previous generations and make them available to the future generations of Iran as they have been made available to us.

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