The Nasir-ol Mulk Mosque in Iran

*WS46 - the Nasir-ol Mulk Mosque in Iran*

After introducing a grand Buddhist temple complex in China yesterday, let me acquaint you with this exextremely beautiful small mosque in Shiraz, southern Iran we visited in 2018.

Nasir-ol Mulk Mosque was built around 1876-88, a project of the ruler. The 1st photo shows the inner courtyard of the mosque with many arched recesses or false doors on the wall. The 3rd shows the beautiful tiles and the 4th the ceiling structure of the arches, called “mocarabe” consisting of a complex array of vertical prisms resembling stalactites. This is typical Persian architecture. 

The 5th and 6th photos show the great quantity of pink tiles used to decorate the walls and ceilings of the main hall. They are responsible for the mosque to be called the Pink Mosque in popular culture. The most beautiful aspect of the mosque is manifested in the 7th and 8th photos: the morning light show. In the early morning the slanting light rays go through the colourful stained glass windows to fall on a large area of the Persian carpets inside. Everywhere is so colourfully lighted, in a rainbow of colours. This phenomenon has earned the mosque the nickname of “Rainbow Mosque”.

We were in fact late arriving to the mosque, around 9 am. The sun was already higher up and the floor areas covered by the rays were rather small. We in fact planned to go there 7 am the next day. Unfortunately it rained early morning the next day so we had to forego a second visit. Otherwise I might present here a better colour show.