Photo Gallery

Shah Mosque (built 1611 onward)

The Shah Mosque, now known as the Imam Mosque, is the exquistitely rendered creation of Shah Abbas. It is located at the northeast end of the great maidan, or square, commissioned by the Shah, which extends 500 meters in length and 150 meters in breadth. The design of the mosque proved somewhat challenging, since the orientation of the qibla (the prayer wall facing Mecca) was not in line with the axis of the square. The architects solved this problem by orienting the mosque in the proper direction and linking it to the square via a bent passageway. The solution is not entirely elegant since it is evident from most of the square that the mosque is off its axis, but this does not detract from the mosque's beauty.