Mosque of Shaykh LutfAllah in Isfahan

About Mosque of ShaykhLutf Allah in Isfahan province

(in IRAN)

 The Mosque of Shaykh Lutf Allah on the east side of Maydan-i-Imam (Naqsh-i-Jahan) is a pleasantly proportioned small sanctuary preceded by a shady square and a large pool It was built by Shah Abbas I between 1602 and 1619. It is named after scholar of Islam who was greatly venerated at the time.
A native of Lebanon, this Shaykh was invited by the king, first to Mashhad, near the sanctuary of the Imam Reza, then to the capital where he has put in charge of the king`s mosque and the school of theology.
The great originality of the cupola is due to the cream or ink according to the time of day-ground color to which the artist has added a very delicate decoration of serried arabesques and black and blue flowers. The turquoise and sapphire shades of classic Safavid art appear only on the drum and right at the top

The decoration of the entrance portal consists of vault with stalactite and blue and yellow mosaics, and anticipates that of the great ivans of the Imam`s Mosque. Here, however, the subjects are amazingly varied, as for instance on the panel showing two peacocks framing a flower vase filled with luxuriant branches.

This small mosque has no central inner courtyard; there is only a small prayer hall which is approached by a corridor. But it is a real gem in which the art of mural mosaics in Isfahan reached its peak. There is not a flaw in the quality of the materials. The balance and harmony of the colors.
The walls are entirely faced with sumptuous ornamental (carpets) of gilt geometrical designs on a splendid bluish-green background.
All round the large panels are stringcourses on which the Persian calligraphers have drawn elegant white lettering. The inscription in the mihrab gives the name of the architect: a poor and humble man, seeking God`s mercy, called Ustad Mohammed Reza, the son of Ustad Hussein, architect in Isfahan in 1028 (of the hegira). The mihrab itself is a model of its kind with its high niche and ceramic facings.
The entrance vestibule
The decoration of the entrance portal consists of vaults with stalactites and blue and yellow mosaics, and anticipates that of the great ivans of the Imam`s Mosque. Here, however, the subjects are amazingly varied, as for instance on the panel showing two peacocks framing a flower vase filled with luxuriant branches.
Polychrome tileworks
The Safavid period marks a high point of the polychromatic decoration of buildings, techniques being developed that enable the builders of Isfahan to cover almost every surface that could be seen with brightly colored glazeness.
Entrance to the Sanctuary
To enter the Mosque, one passes hrough a narrow, bending passageway whose darkness confers an aura of mystery that contrast perfectly with the sudden impact of the softly lit spaciousness of the chamber. The Safavid period marks a high point of the polychromatic decoration of buildings, techniques being developed that enable the builders of Isfahan to cover almost every surface that could be seen with brightly colored glazeness.
The Main Prayer Hall
This small mosque has no central inner courtyard; there is only a small prayer hall which is approached by a corridor. But it is a real gem in which the art of mural mosaics in Isfahan reached its peak. There is not a flaw in the quality of the materials. The balance and harmony of the colors. The walls are entirely faced with sumptuous ornamental (carpets) of gilt geometrical designs on a splendid bluish-green background. All round the large panels are stringcourses on which the Persian calligraphers have drawn elegant white lettering. The inscription in the mihrab gives the name of the architect: a poor and humble man, seeking God`s mercy, called Ustad Mohammed Reza, the son of UstadHussein, architect in Isfahan in 1028 (of the hegira). The mihrab itself is a model of its kind with its high niche and ceramic facings.
Dome of the Shaykh Lutf Allah Mosque
This exquisite building, more private oratory than public mosque, was erected by Shah Abbas I between 1603 and 1618 on the Royal Maydan (Maydan-i-Imam) facing the Ali Qapo Palace. It is named after the Shah`s father-in-law who was a respected divine. There are a number of unusual features about the building: its squat and partly unglazed dome; the absence of a central court and ivans; the single sunken sanctuary chamber covered from top to bottom in mosaic faience of the highest quality. The 42 ft. wide dome rests on a drum pierced by 16 small windows, through whose double grilles the light plays. The tilework of the ceiling is perhaps the most intricate in Isfahan and has the quality of a finely woven carpet. The building was extensively and skillfully restored between 1954 and 1956

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...YES! IRAN IS BEAUTIFUL

Chehel Sotoun in Esfahan

About Chehel Sotoun in Esfahan province

(in IRAN)

 This building -now a veritable museum of Persian painting and ceramics -was a pleasure pavilion used for the king`s entertainment`s and receptions

It stands inside a vast royal park, but relatively near the enclosure, and was built by Shah Abbas II round an earlier building erected by Shah Abbas I. An inscription states that the decoration and frescoes were finished in 1647. Only two large historical frescoes date from the later period of the Zand dynasty. Unfortunately, the Chehel Sotun has been badly damaged since then, especially when the Afghans occupied the town and covered the paintings with a thick coat of whitewash. It is now being extensively restored under the aegis of the Institute Italiano Per il Medio Orient

 

The pavilion opens onto the gardens by means of an elegant terrace, only a few steps high and supported by slender, delicate wooden pillars. In reality, there were never more than twenty columns, but they were reflected in the pool in the park, and so the Persian liked to call the building the (pavilion with forty columns) (besides, the number 40 had a symbolic meaning in Persia and expressed respect and admiration). Two rows of waterspouts and fountains in the shape of stone lions at the four corners carried water to the huge, elegant rectangular basin

The terrace is a marvel of elegance. The slender pillars support a light wooden ceiling with wide fretwork louvers. Here we should note the influence of Eastern Asian architecture. Part of the sumptuous decoration has disappeared. We must picture the back wall covered with mirrors, the doors of rare carved wood, and the pillars, each cut from a single lane-tree trunk, with their fine eneer, their brightly colored paintings, their mirrors and studs of colored glass. We still have the remarkable ceiling its beams, its covering, its painted wood louvers, and its carefully lay-work-rosettes and suns, stars, stylized fruit and foliage. The great wooden ceilings-a rare luxury in a country so acking in trees-are among guarded by four lions which support the central columns

The palace is called Chehel Sotun because of the number of the columns of this monument. Each column is formed of a plain tree on the skin of which a thin layer of colored board has been fitted. This layer was formerly covered with colored pieces of glass and mirror
All the walls used to be decorated with large mirrors and colored peices of glass and beautiful paintings. Inlaid work was a characteristic of all doors and windows. The pool in front of the building is 110 meters long and 16 meters wide. Four stone lions have been placed on the four sides of a pond in the center of the hall from whose open mouths water streams down. And finally the unique ceiling of the 18 column portico and the mirror work on the ceiling of the hall are eyecatching. The paintings demonstrating the parties held by Shah Abbas the great, and reception of Mohammad Vali Khan, the king of Turkistan, the war between Shah Ismail the first and the Ottoman forces in Chaldoran, the reception party in honor of Homayun the king of India and in the eastern section, in front of the painting scene of Shah Abbas` war with the Uzbeks, is seen the war waged by Nader Shah of Afshar dynasty against the Hindus in Kornal

...YES IRAN IS BEAUTIFUL