The mosque is considered the most important building in Islamic art and architecture, and in the first way, the Jame Mosque has a special importance and position. Since the Jame Mosque is in the central point of the city and by its very nature, it oversees the presence of merchants and bazaars and the movement of people; In terms of its position in the city, it is guaranteed to attract financial support for its preservation, survival and restoration.
In the classification of Islamic buildings, the mosque has a unique and significant position, and Iranians have made great efforts in creating mosques that focus on the higher world and unity, considering the unique origin and creator of the world. Every city, whether small or big, has mosques, the largest of which is the Jami or Juma Mosque, which is large enough to perform Friday prayers.
In terms of urban, ethnic or political identity, comprehensive mosques are considered to be the tallest, most beautiful and sometimes the most spacious buildings in the city. Religious factors are sometimes more important than climatic conditions in the design of the mosque building, and the framework of the same religious and sometimes political criteria has been applied in the four climates of each region as much as possible to provide human welfare needs inside the mosque.
The special importance of mosques among Muslims has always attracted the special attention of architects and other artists in creating a different place to worship the unique essence of God. Jama mosques are the place where many Muslims gather to perform one of the most important acts of worship, i.e. Friday prayer. Paying special attention to the structure and decorations of mosques has been one of the important factors in attracting Muslims to this place, and generally the best examples of Islamic art decoration can be seen in mosques. The remarkable point in the architecture of mosques is the use of the word of revelation, relying on the spiritual needs of man, in decorating this pure and holy building, therefore every person who sets foot in this divine place is attracted by its external and spiritual beauty. The Muslim artist uses all his efforts to beautify this holy place, to always direct the memory and mind of every devout person towards the essence of oneness and to remind the manifestations of God’s presence in decorating this holy place.
Therefore, in addition to the common types of decorations in Islamic art and architecture, various manifestations of Islamic art such as plastering, brickwork, mosaic work, tile work, stonework, mirror work, carving, inlay work and inlay work can be found in mosques. Each of these artistic methods not only affect the decoration of the environment, but also express a spiritual concept behind each role.
Among the various decorations that are used in the beautification of mosques, inscription decorations and written motifs are of special importance. An inscription is an element that includes calligraphy and calligraphy. In fact, the inscription is a part of the decorative motifs of Islamic art that includes written subjects to express a specific subject. Verses from the Holy Quran, hadiths, prayers and speeches, statistical information about the construction of the building, its founders and wise religious poems are among the topics that can be seen in the content of the inscriptions.
The inscriptions cover specific places such as the entrance of the mosque, around the courtyard, minarets, the stem of the dome, the altar, the place of Qiblah, the inner stem and the central point of the dome and the naves. However, it is possible that the entire royal space of the mosque is decorated with words. Inscriptions contain meanings and concepts that, on the one hand, reflect the social, religious and cultural conditions of the time of writing, and on the other hand, show all the creativity of Muslim artists and the emergence of their purity of meaning. When people come to the mosque, they are invited to praise God by the beautiful inscriptions that can be seen everywhere. These inscriptions help people to understand the presence of God and realize the feelings resulting from the appearance of the beauty of the soul.
In the mosque, the believer is never just a mere spectator, but whenever he stands for prayer with purity and presence of heart and then reads the Quranic writings, prayers and hadiths engraved and written on the door and walls of the mosque, in a way with meaning and spiritual reflections. Lines communicate. Therefore, not only Muslim architects, but also inscription writers tried to create an atmosphere that would manifest all the attributes and qualities of spiritual authorities.
In the first chapter of the book, the position of architecture and mosques in Islamic art, the architectural history of early mosques, early Iranian mosques and the position of comprehensive mosques in Islamic societies are examined. The continuation of the discussion introduces the audience to the structure and main components of comprehensive mosques, techniques and decorative materials of mosques, the position of mosque decoration in Islamic art, and the study of geometric, plant and inscription motifs in mosques.
In the next chapters, after presenting information about the place of inscription decorations in mosques, the subjects of inscriptions and their types will be examined, and then in the third chapter, the type of inscription decorations in 55 examples of mosques in important cities of Iran, such as: Isfahan, Shushtar, Shiraz, Damghan, Ardestan. , Khorramabad, Borujerd, Dezful, Nayin, Niriz, Kashan, Zavareh, Damavand, Saveh, Barsian, Urmia, Qazvin, Tabriz, Qom, Semnan, Golpaygan, Faryomed, Zozan, Gonabad, Shabstar, Ardabil, Varamin, Natanz, Nadushan, Abarkoh , Kerman, Yazd, Ashtarjan, Sabzevar, Goharshad, Mashhad, Lahijan, Neishabur, Hamadan, Tabas, Sanandaj, Tehran, Marand, Gorgan, Amol, Babol, Qain and Urmia, and with a brief reference to the historical background of the city in question, its Grand Mosque They are also examined from the historical point of view and structural elements and inscriptions.
The introduction of the comprehensive mosques of each region is based on their geographical location in the four directions, as well as northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, central, north center, east center, west center and south center, and the quality of structural elements is based on the placement pattern. They match from the outermost part of the mosque to the inside.
Also, in order to complete the discussion and introduction Broader mosques of Iran, at the end, in the index section, information about 165 examples of mosques in other cities and settlements of the country is provided. To be an introduction to another volume in which they will be expanded and fully described in the not-so-distant future.
In organizing the contents of the book, attention has been paid to the records and historical contexts of different artistic eras and the role of Islamic rulers in the creation, construction, restoration and completion of mosque buildings has been studied.
What makes this work different from other relevant books is its special emphasis on the mosques due to their special importance in each city and the conceptual study of the inscription decorations in each of them, specifically and precisely.
With the aim of identifying and introducing Iranian historical buildings, the mentioned research seeks to take a step towards identifying these hidden artistic values with a fresh look by examining the spiritual concepts of the inscriptions of the mosques of the country while expressing the artistic characteristics of each region.
Of course, the collection of such complete and simple information required the coordination and cooperation of different groups of researchers, editors, graphic designers, page typesetters, proofreaders, typists, public relations and processing departments, the coordinating and administrative department of the Islamic Art Studies Publications and the Islamic Art Research Center of Nigareh.
Here, I would like to express my gratitude to all the professors, friends, researchers, and people who in some way prepared and organized the contents of this extensive and useful book, which acts as a glorious encyclopedia about the mosques of Iran, as well as to all organizations and libraries. I would like to express my gratitude to the public and private archives and collectors at home and abroad who have contributed to the collection of information in some way.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Arman Tadabir lithography department, Naqsh Iran Printing House, and Taheri Journalist, who have been responsible for the publishing of the book, and who have applied great care and sensitivity in printing the book.
I am thankful and grateful to the great, powerful and kind God for giving me the ability to finish this great project after about 6 years in the midst of lack of time and work conflicts and prepare it for the use of those interested in Islamic architecture studies. . I hope that in the future, in the continuation of related studies and research in the field of Islamic art, I will be able to serve this group of researchers in my country in another field, trusting in God.
In the end, I am indebted to my dear and honorable family, who accompanied and helped me in all the trips to the province, which included the most remote urban areas in the country, in order to take pictures of the prominent buildings of Jama Mosques. I sincerely thank them.
