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Category: Great Mosque of Kufa

May 26, 2026 goudarzali

The Destruction of a 17th Century Safavid Dome at the Great Mosque of Kufa

In continuation of the previous post, these photos from the past year show the demolition of the Mosque's historic 17th century dome. Until 2026, the Great Mosque of Kufa had two proper masonry historic dual shell Persian domes. One of these was a larger gilded one over the tomb of Muslim ibn Aqeel (the slain envoy of Hussain ibn Ali) and the other a smaller dome covered in tiles of a deep green color over the tomb of Hani ibn Urwa (the 7th century companion of Imam Ali). It is generally agreed they were constructed sometime in the Safavid period between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Stylistically this lines up with the known construction dates of other Persian domes at the Atabat in Iraq which have similar designs and proportions and are also Safavid era constructions. Clock towers - a distinctly European form introduced during the industrial age, rose unexpectedly alongside the domes and minarets of Iran and Iraq in the late Qajar and Ottoman eras. As the old Eastern Islamic dynasties were increasingly exposed to European infrastructure and engineering, they sought to bring back some of these technologies to their own dominions. Of these were clock towers, these structures combined utilitarian function with architectural monumentality and were typically situated in sites of bustling civilian usage. In Europe this was often in squares and secular spaces, in Iran and Iraq where vast public squares were not a typical part of urban design, they were placed within the grand courtyards of mosques, shrines, and even cathedrals. It is painful to see attacks and destruction of Iran's infrastructure and the slaughter of its civilians by America—but it is hardly surprising. Admire the beautiful and imperial Safavid color palette as seen on these splendid mosaics found on the outer walls of Madrasseh Chahar Bagh in Isfahan. The mosaics here date from the construction of the Madrasseh in the year 1115 Hijri Qamari (1704 AD). The madrasseh was commissioned by Shah Hossein I, and is considered the final monumental Safavid architectural project. Isfahan in the eyes of 18th and 19th century travellers. Persian thulth and mosaic tiles at Masjid Al Aqsa? Note: This text was originally written and published in August 2024. Choikhona Rohat has since been demolished. The flavor of Persian architecture in Shiraz is different than that of the rest of Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. It is characterized by a certain humbleness and sobriety in form, yet intense sophistication in ornamental expression. Shiraz is a city of poetry, heavenly gardens, and saints- disillusioned towards ambitions of fleeting imperial glory that is experienced in its ancient days.
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© ALI-REZA GOUDARZI, 2026

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