The genesis of mosques in Yazd; Recognizing the architecture of mosques of the first centuries Hijri in Yazd region

Document Type : Research Article

Author

Member of the scientific faculty of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

The architectural history of the mosque in Yazd, like other regions, should be started from the first centuries of Hijri. There are few buildings left in Yazd region during this period of time, and there are no clear references in this regard in the historical books, so talking about these buildings, including mosques, is considered a step in the dark. In the historical geography texts of the 3rd and 4th centuries of Hijri, four places with pulpits in Yazd are mentioned. The most famous mosques of the first centuries of Hijri are Masjed- e jame Fahraj near Yazd city, but other mosques are less discussed or there are not many documents available. The research question is, which are the first mosques in Yazd, when were they founded and what kind of location and architecture did they have? The research method is of the "historical-analytical" type, which will proceed by referring to authentic historical texts, seeing the available evidence and analyzing them. The aim of the research is to investigate the origin of the mosque in Yazd region and to recognize the architectural rules of these buildings. The result of this research showed that in the old cities and villages that existed in Yazd, at least two centuries aim the arrival of the Muslims, the mosque was built as an urban or rural space and element. There are evidences of the first mosques in Katha (Yazd), Fahraj, Khavidak, Meybod and Nain, and Abarkouh can be added to this list. These mosques are of the nave type and are based on masonry columns and load-bearing walls, not pillared buildings that are known in other regions. These buildings, which are not large in size, have common features of space and construction technology, and they are all built with clay and mudbrick materials.

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References

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Journal of Architecture in Hot and Dry Climate
Volume 11, Issue 1
November 2023
Pages 1-24

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