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).