Asia

[Visited: April 2001]

Esfahan is a city full of displays of the climax of Islamic art and architectural perfection. Mosques, squares, palaces: they all breathe beauty. But the absolute highlight is the Masjed e Emam (Masjed e Shah before the Revolution of 1979). There are few surfaces in this large mosque which are not covered by blue-green tiles typical of Islamic intricate decoration.
The mosque was completed in 1638 after 26 years. It directly borders the Emam Khomeini square but the mosque itself is turned directly towards Mecca. The entrance is huge, and probably the highlight of the Safavid period. Brightly coloured tiles, calligraphy, blue, yellow, green, creamy white, after looking at it for a while, your eyes get dizzy and overwhelmed by the riches.
Walking around the complex I found that the collective display of Islamic art was at times almost too impressive. Fortunately, there are some outer squares with trees where you can let your eyes come to rest. Then, probably the most touching detail of the mosque was a solitary man, kneeling and bending, saying his prayers, in one of the huge halls. A devotee completely dwarfed by the immensity of the building.

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Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Masjed e Emam (Iran). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Masjed e Emam.
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