Jame Mosque of Kashan

Jame Mosque of Kashan

Jame Mosque of Kashan is one of the oldest historical buildings of this city and it is founded on an older building, which according to some experts, dates back to before Islam. The building of this mosque dates back to the early Islamic centuries and is older than other historical buildings in Kashan. This mosque has a high porch, a wide courtyard and a pond in the middle, and three large naves. This building has a beautiful brick minaret with a brick inscription in Kufic script and dated 1088, which show the importance and validity of the mosque in the Seljuk period.In the recent peeling of the plasterwork of the altar of the Seljuk period, works and decorations belonging to the Albuyeh period have been discovered and identified.In the summer nave of this building, which is located under the winter nave, very beautiful tile designs can be seen, and on the floor of this nave, traces of porcelain firing furnaces were discovered by the experts of the Cultural Heritage Organization.According to some historical narrations, this mosque was built by the order of Safiya Khatun, the daughter of Malik Ashtar.This work has been registered as one of Iran’s national works on June 30,1937 with registration number 252.

The original building of this mosque dates back to before Islam and was the place of a fire temple, which Muslims converted into a mosque with the advent of Islam. The first founder of the mosque is not known; But it is known that Safiya Khatun, the daughter of Malik Ashtar, built this mosque. According to the existing inscriptions, the building was overhauled by Abdul Razzaq Khan, the ruler of Kashan. The brick minaret of the mosque was built in the Seljuk period. Only this minaret and one of the altars of the nave remain from that period. The other two altars of this nave belong to the 8th and 12th centuries of AH.

The minarets of the mosque are among the rare minarets of the country. The vast summer and winter naves along with plastered altars and its combination with colorful tiles have created unique patterns and given the mosque a special effect.In the summer nave of this building, which is located under the winter nave, Very beautiful tiling designs can be seen, and on the floor of this chapel, traces of porcelain kilns were discovered by the experts of the cultural heritage organization in the past.This building has a brick dome, which was probably repaired by “Abdul Razzaq Khan Kashi” after the famous earthquake of 1814 when this mosque suffered a lot of damage.And this issue is also specified in the inscription of the third line under the dome of the mosque dated to the year 1829

This mosque has two qiblas, one of which was deliberately destroyed due to not observing the exact directions of the qibla (according to cultural heritage experts). that the stucco works are so exquisite that they built another altar near the same altar so as not to be suspected by the worshipers.

But common people believe that this mihrab was towards Jerusalem and after the Qiblah changed in the second year of Hijra, this mihrab was destroyed.In the other mihrab, which is towards Masjid al-Haram, the verse of changing the Qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca can be seen, which is the proof of people’s belief in this matter.It is said that Hazrat Sultan Ali Ibn Imam Muhammad Baqir (AS) prayed in this mosque.Therefore, the people of Kashan consider this mosque very respectable, and the oldest inscription in the mosque is dated 1088, which is written on its minaret. “This minaret is the third oldest historical minaret in Iran”

This mosque is the center of the largest and oldest religious board in Kashan (Abulfazl A. Kashan-Meshti board), which is more than a hundred years old.