Gonbad Kabud Mosque

Gonbad Kabud Mosque (Persian: مسجد كبود غنبد, literally Blue Domed Mosque) is a historic mosque located in Kalat County, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran. It is number 661 on the list of Iran's national heritage monuments, and dates back to the Seljuk and Afsharid periods.

History

The original mosque structure was built by the Seljuks in the 12th century. During the rule of the Ilkhanate, a mausoleum was added to the grounds of the mosque. After the takeover of Iran by Nader Shah Afshar, he expanded the mosque and built porches and shelters around it. It is also said that the Mongol Jalairs, who governed parts of Iran under the supervision of other bigger powers ruling over Iran ever since their subjugation into the Aq Qoyunlu, helped with some of the renovations. The mosque was also remodelled with a style more evocative of Persian architecture in 1747. Later during the Qajar period, the mosque received extensive renovations. More repairs and restorations took place in 1835 under orders from Yalangtush Khan, the governor of Kalat. Finally, on the 23rd of April, 1946, the mosque was labelled as number 661 on the list of Iranian national heritage monuments.

Architecture

The mosque has four main iwans and is topped primarily by a large blue dome. Significant fragments of yellow-and-blue tiling remain on the four iwans. The base of this dome is cylindrical, while the space underneath the dome is octagonal, with the length of each wall about 4 metres. The courtyard of the mosque is rectangular in its shape with a width of 19 metres, and a length of 27 metres. Next to the eastern shabestan of the mosque, there is a tomb for the family of the Mongol Jalairs, dating back to the Ilkhanid period. One of the rooms was converted into a memorial and a mausoleum, where several martyrs of the Iranian Revolution who died in Kalat were buried.