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The tiled vaults of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz, seen from below: rose, red and gold domes and arches in a symmetrical row. — Shiraz, Iran

Ceiling of Nasir al-Mulk

Shiraz, Iran · Architecture, 45 of 71

Original file 1500 × 804 px · 408 KB

01 The photograph

Ceiling of Nasir al-Mulk, Shiraz

Place: Shiraz, Iran
Gallery: Architecture 45 / 71
Photograph: Mohammadreza Domiri Ganji
Original file: 1500 × 804 px · JPEG

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Mohammadreza Domiri GanjiShirazArchitecture — 45 / 71

02 The place

Light through coloured glass

The Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, in the city of Shiraz, was built in the Qajar era by Nasir al-Mulk. It has two prayer halls, to the east and to the west; the eastern one has a tiled mihrab, twelve columns and windows of coloured glass.

In autumn and winter, when sunlight shines through the coloured glass, it gives the interior of the prayer hall an exemplary beauty, which sets this mosque apart among the mosques of Iran. The tiling and paintings of the prayer halls are of exceptional beauty as well.

03 In his words

Waiting for the centre

I have seen stained glass in many architectural buildings, but the stained glass of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque is exceptional. From dawn, the mosque is filled with colour and light: the sun shines through the glass and fills the inside, the Persian rugs, the ceiling and the wall tiles with patterns and colours. I am amazed at how the architect was able to combine so many things to build such an exquisite mosque.

I went to this mosque on a winter morning and waited for the light, which moves gently from the right-hand side of the mosque towards the left, to fall exactly in the centre, so that my photograph could be completely symmetrical.

Mohammadreza Domiri Ganji