The magic of building Nasir al-Mulk - Iran's "Rainbow Mosque"

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Over the entire history of its existence, mankind has created a huge number of religious buildings with a unique design. However, in Iran, in the city of Shiraz, there is a unique Nasir al-Mulk mosque, which is rightfully considered the most amazing creation of human hands, because the bewitching beauty of its stained glass windows cannot be described in words, you just need to see it with your own eyes.

Located in Shiraz (Iran), the Nasir al-Mulk mosque is considered the most unusual religious building of Muslims. The shrine was built in the 19th century. (1876 - 1888) by order of one of the lords of the Qajar dynasty.

Interesting:This unique structure was designed by Muhammad Hasan-e-Memar and Muhammad Reza Kashi Paz-e-Shirazi, who used stained-glass windows unusual for mosque architecture as their main decoration. …

This one-of-a-kind mosque is decorated with stained glass windows depicting a huge number of roses, which have become the main pattern depicted both on the internal elements of the religious building and on the outside. It is this circumstance that quite clearly stands out from the generally accepted rules and canons in the design of Muslim shrines and makes it unique. Such an abundance of roses is very simply explained - Shiraz in the literal sense of the word is buried in roses and on its territory you can find more than 300 species of this beautiful flower.

Nasir al-Mulk is a rather large mosque, the area of the internal space is almost 2, 9 thousand square meters, not to mention the fact that it also has a courtyard and a vast courtyard area. Of particular admiration is the Pearl Arch, which is located on the north side of the courtyard. Its vaults are painted with geometric shapes, beautiful roses and verses from the Koran. On the east side there is a nave created with 7 stone columns, while on the south side there are 2 minarets.

The western part of the ensemble is occupied by the main hall of the mosque, which, due to the stunning beauty of the stained-glass windows, evokes indescribable feelings, especially if you are in it on a sunny day. When a person first enters the main hall of the mosque, he feels himself inside a real kaleidoscope, and in the literal sense of the word.

And this is no wonder, several huge stained-glass windows, painted in different styles and incredibly bright colors, letting in the sun's rays, turn the huge hall into a palace of fantastic beauty, although there is absolutely no luxury in it. This was facilitated by the trick that the artists used during the painting.

Not only is each glass painted in its own way: on one only geometric figures in the form of triangles and rhombuses, on the other - floral and floral ornaments, on the third - kaleidoscopic figures, on the rest - curls and abstract lines, so they simultaneously used warm and cold tones, which made it possible to create three-dimensional patterns. It is this technique of execution that gives incredible color play during the passage of sunlight.

In addition to the magnificent display of color and light through the stained glass windows, the mosque also contains other striking design and architectural elements, including intricate geometric patterns on stately columns, adorned arches and niches, and equally impressive domes. In addition to bright stained-glass windows, all walls, arches and vaults are decorated with mosaics created from pieces of multi-colored glass, and each element of the interior has a certain pattern and carries a special meaning, because in the center of each one can see the wise words from the Koran.

More than 100 years have passed since the day the finishing works were completed. Every day, the rays of the sun, breaking through the colorful stained glass windows of Nasir al-Mulk, are reflected in the stunning beauty of the mosaics, transforming the halls of the mosque into an unrealistically fantastic place.

Not only thanks to stained glass windows and mosaics, the sun's rays cause a breathtaking play of colors, the floor tiles in seven colors - white, blue, blue, red, terracotta, black and yellow - help in this. These colors were chosen for a reason, because they fully correspond to the canons of Shiraz architecture of those times. Considering the amazing play of light, the mosque has many more names - "Pink Mosque", "Rainbow Mosque", "Kaleidoscope Mosque", it is also called "Mosque of Flowers".

The exterior, while not so impressive, is still a lot to see, especially if you go to the courtyard. Its multi-colored tiles and small fish pool help create a sublime and serene atmosphere.

According to the editors of Novate. Ru, the presence of a huge number of decorative elements, more inherent in European culture, and, moreover, images of flowers in the design of the mosque, which do not fit into the canons of Muslim architecture. In 1979, the Iranian authorities removed the mosque from the category of religious sites and turned it into a museum. But this did not affect the shrine itself.

Since the fame of the unprecedented beauty of the Nasir al-Mulk mosque has spread throughout the world, now not only Muslim believers rush to it and see and pray, but millions of travelers include the shrine in the list of must-see visits. Now, in the museum-mosque, tourists can learn the history of its origin and many incredible stories that happened both within its walls and with believers visiting this unusual holy place.

There are a lot of man-made sights on our planet that not only delight with their beauty, but also excite the imagination. One of these unique places is located in Istanbul, it would be more correct to say underground, in the very historical center of this city.