Imam Hasan al-Askari Mosque

The Imam Hasan al-Askari Mosque (Persian: مسجد امام حسن عسگری, romanized: Masjed-e Emam Hasan-e Asgari; Arabic: مسجد الإمام الحسن العسكري), also known as the Imam Hassan Al-Asgari Mosque or simply, the Al-Askari Mosque, is a Twelver Shi'ite mosque and mausoleum, located in the city of Qom, in the province of Qom, Iran. It is named for Hasan al-Askari, who was the 11th Imam of the Ahlulbayt and the father of the 12th Imam in Shi'ite traditions.

Imam Hasan al-Askari Mosque
مسجد امام حسن عسگری
The mosque in 2015
Religion
Affiliation	Shia (Twelver)
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Mosque and mausoleum
Status	Active
Location
Location	Qom, Qom Province
Country	Iran
Location of the mosque in Iran
Geographic coordinates	34°38′44″N 50°53′01″E
Architecture
Type	Mosque architecture
Style	Safavid (9th century) Contemporary Persian (21st century)
Founder	Ahmad ibn Ishaq Ash'ari Qomi
Completed	9th century 2015 (present structure)
Specifications
Dome(s)	One
Dome height (inner)	35 m (115 ft)
Minaret(s)	Two
Minaret height	59 m (194 ft)
Iran National Heritage List
Official name	Imam Hasan al-Askari Mosque
Type	Built
Designated	9 January 1978
Reference no.	1312
Conservation organization	Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran
[1]

The original 9th-century structure, since renovated and expanded, is one of the oldest mosques in Iran. The mosque was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 9 January 1978, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.

History

The mosque was built in the 9th century CE by Ahmad ibn Ishaq Ash'ari Qomi, an Ash'ari theologian and Shi'ite narrator of hadith.^[2] As centuries progressed, the mosque was gradually rebuilt and renovated into a larger form.^[3][4] The Safavids renovated the mosque in 1717, but the only trace of this renovation is the southern loggia of the mosque.^[4][3] During the Qajar era, a basement and a hall was built in the western side of the mosque in 1869.^[4][3] Nine years later, a hall and a basement were added in the western corner of the mosque.^[4][3] After the end of the Iranian Revolution, a new reconstruction plan was developed by Mohammad-Reza Golpaygani,^[5] and was re-opened in 2015.^[4][3]

Mausoleum

On the south side of the entrance, there is a tomb a notable personality named "Haji Ali al-Naqi", an elderly cleric who assisted in some of the renovation works during the Qajar era.^[3] Before the reconstruction, his tomb was in an old mausoleum with four arches.^[3]

Gallery

• 
  Aerial photograph of the mosque from 2018
• 
  Front view of the mosque
• 
  Inside the mosque
• 
  Some chandeliers hanging from the ceiling of a corridor in the mosque
• 
  A protest outside the mosque, with the people flashing banners that indicate this protest is only for cultural and not religious purposes
• 
  The mosque at night
• 
  An angry mob outside the mosque

See also

• Shia Islam portal
• Iran portal

• Shia Islam in Iran
• List of mausoleums in Iran
• List of mosques in Iran
• List of oldest mosques in Iran