A mosque with the highest minarets in the world

Jame mosque of Yazd is one of the picturesque, distinctive and most important tourist attractions in Iran.

No matter where you stay in the Yazd, the Jame mosque of Yazd is clearly visible from every corner of the city! This beautiful mosque is a magnificent masterpiece of Islamic architecture that draws many people from all over the world like a magnet.

• Why is the Jame mosque of Yazd unique?

1. This mosque has one of the highest minarets in the world.
2. Elegant tilework
3. Unique tiled Mihrab

• Overview the Jame Mosque of Yazd

The Jame Mosque of Yazd is a fine specimen of Azerbaijani style or the Azeri style (one of the categories of Iranian architecture) that was constructed in an area of 9800 square meters in the 6th century AH. The principal purpose of the architect in Azeri style is to build a great and magnificent structure.

In fact, this mosque is a combination of three mosques that built in different periods over a period of one century. The restoration of this mosque was continued until the last decade too.

This mosque is mainly made up of two minarets, a high Iwan (the entrance structure of traditional places), a dome, two Shabestan (a space like a chamber that can be usually found in traditional places) and a Sahn (a courtyard in Islamic architecture) that each of them expose the great Persian architecture.

This mosque has seven entrances that located on different sides of the structure. The main entrance located on the eastern side of the mosque in which, there is a lofty Iwan with dazzling tile work and two minarets.

Note: Some believe that the basic structure of this mosque was a fire temple belonging to the Sasanian era (pre-Islamic).

• Different portions of the mosque:

 High Iwan:

Every visitor will be impressed by seeing this eye-catching Iwan. Furthermore, it’s one of the important parts of the Jame Mosque of Yazd that designed in Azari style. This Iwan was added to the structure of the mosque during the rule of Shah Rukh in a period of Timurid. The height of the mosque’s Iwan is 24 meters and there is a narrow vault on both sides of it and flanked by two minarets.

 Lofty minarets:

There is a pair of lofty minarets on both sides of the Iwan with a height of 52 meters. Maxime Siroux, a French architect and archaeologist, believes that these minarets have been added to the mosque during the period of Amir Chakhmaq rule in 825 AH. But, These Isfahani style minarets were added to the mosque in the Safavid period. The elegance of minaret tiles is very impressing and graceful. The diameter of the minarets decreases from bottom to top, and only one of the minarets has a staircase.

 The tiled Mihrab

The tiled Mihrab is one of the most beautiful parts of the mosque with a variety of mosaic tiles and inscriptions in the mosque dome that attracts many foreign and domestic tourists due to Its reputation.

 The Dome of mosque

The two-shell dome of the mosque with 17 meters in diameter is a solid and steady structure. This dome is one of the most unique and outstanding specimens of architecture in the world due to dazzling tiles, calligraphy, and excellent structure of the dome.

 Tiles & inscriptions
Every corner of the mosque graced with the azure and turquoise tiles that designed with Arabesque and Geometry patterns. One of the most spectacular parts of the mosque is the ceiling of Iwan that adorned with 99 names of god in Kufic style. (The oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts). The eye-catching inscriptions of this mosque, which based on Shi'i religious beliefs, are added in the Ilkhani and Timurid periods.

• What is the best time to go?
  You can get there every season. But, because of the arid climate of Yazd, we recommend you to travel there in Autumn and Spring. The best time to visit the Jame Mosque of Yazd is in the early morning and at sunset.

• Getting there?
  The Jame Mosque of Yazd lies in one of the old districts of Yazd in Imam Khomeini Square.