Built for the respected cleric Mulla Mahdi Naraqi, known as Agha Bozorg, this mosque and theological school is a masterpiece of brick architecture. Its most original feature is the two-level courtyard: the mosque sits on the upper level, while a sunken garden with a pool lies below, surrounded by the cells where students once lived and studied.
The brick dome, the pair of minarets and the tiled portal form a perfectly balanced composition, and the wooden entrance door is said to have as many studs as there are verses in the Qur’an. Windcatchers bring cool air into the prayer hall — a reminder that this was built for the desert climate of Kashan.
Highlights
- The sunken garden courtyard
- Brick dome and twin minarets
- The studded wooden entrance door
- Students’ cells around the lower court
Gallery
