The time difference between these two photos shot at the same exact angle of the courtyard arcades of Imam Ali’s shrine is almost 150 years, fortunately, very few things have changed between these two photos. The shrine’s architectural and ornamental integrity remain nearly completely intact, unlike other shrines in Iraq which have been abused by modern ruination projects. The same tiles which ornamented the shrines walls in the 1870’s continue to beautifully ornament the shrines walls today, though their colors have slightly faded, this is a sign of beauty and prestige for antique tiles.

The most significant difference between these photos is the calligraphic kateebeh (inscritpion) above the 2nd floor arcades, though they may look similar they are completely different, the inscriptions of the courtyard were redone in the year 1323 Hejri (1905 AD) by an Iranian calligrapher named Abdul Ali Yazdi, it is possible that the inscription in the older photo could have dated from the time of the original Safavid construction. It is unknown why the inscription band was replaced in 1905, but could have been due to damages inflicted onto the tiles in the decades after this photo was taken due, or perhaps to remove symbols of earlier rulers from the Shrine- this would only be the case if the old inscription band contained historic information relating to patronage of the shrine. If it’s content was purely Quranic verses this possibility should be overruled.

This photo which was taken by Nasser Al Din Shah’s court photographer, Antoin Sevruguin, and dates from the time of Nasser Din Sha’s pilgrimage to the shrine in the 1870’s. A series of other photographs from the same trip show the state of other shrines and sites in Iraq during the 1870’s.

Text of the Inscription: Surah al Hujrat Verse 12 (49:12)

يا أيها الذين آمنوا اجتنبوا كثيراً من الظن إن بعض الظن إثم ولا تجسسوا ولا يغتب بعضكم بعضاً أيحب أحدكم أن يأكل لحم أخيه ميتاً فكرهتموه واتقوا الله إن الله تواب رحيم

It should be noted the newer inscription is of the same Surah, but the tiles are completely different. I have isolated a part of the same location of tiles from the original old inscription and the 1905 era inscription and labeled areas of difference where the same parts of the Surah are written differently and in different locations. Interestingly the calligraphy of the original inscription was much more compactly written, the same text was written in a smaller space, so it is likely there was additional text at the end of the old inscription that is not in the 1905 inscription, this is why I suspect it could have had some old historical information at the end.

For whatever reason they were replaced, as far as we can see in this photo from 1870, they seemed like they were in perfect condition.