The Blue Mosque in Tabriz. Architecture and Decoration: History and Reconstruction

Abstract

This article is devoted to the history and peculiar features of the so called Blue Mosque in Tabriz. This outstanding monument of Iranian and Azerbaijanyan architecture of the second half of the 15th century deserves attention as for its ground plan, as for its unusual characteristics of the religious building luxuriously decorated inside and outside with the different ornamental and calligraphic compositions. The poetic name – Blue Mosque – was given to this building, due to predominance of blue, ultramarine and turquoise in its decoration. At first it was called Masjid-e Muzaffariyya (the Mosque of Muzaffar) after name of its founder. The inscription on the portal indicates the name of the ruler Abul-Muzaffar Jahanshah b. Kara-Yusuf Kara-Koyunlu (1438–67) and the date of the beginning of its construction (4 Rabi I 870 AH / October 25, 1465). The inscription on the eastern wall of the portal includes the name of the calligrapher Ni’matallah b. Muhammad Bawwab and the date which, apparently, fixes the time of completion of the ornamental and epigraphic decor on the main entrance (4 Rabi I 873 / 22 September 1468). Formerly, it was a large religious and charity complex, destroyed by earthquakes during centuries. Eventually only the Mosque’s majestic ruins had remained.