Sepahsalar Mosque

The Sepahsālār Mosque (Persian: مسجد سپهسالار, romanized: Masjed-e Sepahsālār; Arabic: مسجد سبهسالار) is a mosque and madrasa located in the Baharestan district of the city of Tehran, in the province of Tehran, Iran. Construction of the mosque commenced in 1879 CE upon the order of Mirza Hosein Sepahsalar, a Grand Vizier of Iran during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, and the first phase of construction was finished in 1884 CE. The mosque was renamed the Shahid Motahhari (مسجد شهید مطهری) or the Motahhari Mosque, after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, but it is commonly known by its original name.

Sepahsālār Mosque
مسجد سپهسالار
The mosque in 2011
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mosque and madrasa
Status	Active
Location
Location	Baharestan, Tehran, Tehran Province
Country	Iran
Location in Tehran
Geographic coordinates	35°41′19.5″N 51°25′58.37″E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Mirza Mehdi Khan Shaghaghi (concept) Hosein Lorzade (shabestan)
Type	Mosque architecture
Style	Qajar Persian Neo-Byzantine
Founder	Mirza Hosein Sepahsalar (1879) Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (1881)
Groundbreaking	1879 CE
Completed	1884 CE
Specifications
Length	62 m (203 ft)
Width	61 m (200 ft)
Interior area	16,000 m2 (170,000 sq ft)
Dome(s)	Two (maybe more)
Dome height (outer)	37 m (121 ft)
Minaret(s)	8
Minaret height	37 m (121 ft)
Materials	Bricks; stone; plaster; tile; marble
The mosque in the 1960s
Iran National Heritage List
Official name	Sepahsālār Mosque
Type	Built
Designated	20 June 1936
Reference no.	260
Conservation organization	Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran
[1]

The Sepahsalar Mosque is one of the largest mosques in Tehran.^[2] During the late Qajar as well as Pahlavi eras, the Sepahsalar Mosque was a distinctive landmark of Tehran with its eight minarets a unique design among Iranian mosques.^[2] The mosque was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 20 June 1936, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.

Architecture

Designed by Mirza Mehdi Khan Shaghaghi, also known as Momtahen ud-Doleh, the Sepahsalar Mosque is the first mosque in Tehran whose design is a mix of Persian and Neo-Byzantine styles. The building is inspired by Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, Chaharbagh School and Sultan Ahmed Mosque. The mosque has a special dome and eight minarets.^[3]

The main entrance portal and the façade are of a quite distinctive Qajar style. Two massive minarets flank the recessed entrance, which leads into a large sahn surrounded by twin-storeyed arcades of college rooms; in all there are some 60 chambers.^[4]

Tiles with full-blown floral girih motifs in a typically flamboyant Qajar style decorate the courtyard, while a tile inscription band gives details of the original endowment. The prayer hall dome, 37 metres (121 ft) in height, is supported by 44 columns.^[4][5]

The mosque has a clock with three bells that was crafted in France in 1880. This exquisite timepiece sits atop a 5-metre-high (16 ft) tiled room between two minarets over the north iwan. The sound of the bells resonates through the mosque complex.^[6] There are numerous inscriptions on the mosque in both Thuluth and Kufic scripts.^[7]

Events

Former Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Court Abdolhossein Hazhir was assassinated by a member of the Fada'iyan-e Islam at the mosque in November 1949.^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Under construction, 1879–1884
• 
  Sepahsalar Mosque during the Qajar era
• 
  Sepahsalar Mosque, 1930s
• 
  Ali-Akbar Davar funeral
• 
  Interior view
• 
  Sanctuary
• 
  A view of an iwan and minaret
• 
  Minaret
• 
  Oldest Room in Sepahsalar High School
• 
  Interior dome
• 
  Walls
• 
  Sahn

See also

• Islam portal
• Iran portal

• Islam in Iran
• List of mosques in Iran
• History of Persian domes