Jāme‛-e ‛Abbāsī, mosque (Cultural and Social Section)

Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī, mosque, a building dating to the mid-17^th/11^th century, located on the southern side of the Naqsh-e Jahān Square.
This article consists of two sections: 1- Architectural Section*; 2- Cultural and Social Section

2- Cultural and Social Section

Various views have been expressed regarding the cultural and social motives behind Shah ‛Abbās’s* command to build a new congregational mosque in the city. Sanson, the Dutch navigator, reported in his travelogue that the Shah’s intention in constructing the mosque was to dedicate it to the Twelfth Imam of the Shiia, Imam al-Mahdi.¹ According to Eskandar Munshī, the historian of the Safavid period, Shah ‛Abbās sought to build a mosque that would manifest the grandeur and majesty of his monarchy.² However, as recorded in the inscription above the main entrance of the mosque, dated 1025/1616, Shah ‛Abbās I’s stated intention was to dedicate the spiritual reward (thawāb) of the mosque’s construction to the soul of Shah Ṭahmāsp.³ The other names by which the mosque has been known may also allude to additional motives behind its foundation.⁴

The construction costs of the mosque were estimated and covered by the Safavid court,⁵ but for maintenance and operational expenses, a special endowment (waqf) was established, and its deed was issued in the name of Shah ‛Abbās I.⁶ According to this endowment deed (waqf-nāme), the costs of upkeep, repairs, and other associated expenses—including the furnishing of the mosque’s interior, the purchase of lighting equipment, the provision of food for religious ceremonies during Muḥarram,⁷ and the salaries of custodians, servants, guards,⁸ and teachers⁹—were all precisely itemized with numerical figures. The document stipulated that all such expenses were to be funded by the rent from a number of shops adjacent to the Jāme’ ‛Abbāsī Mosque, and from the revenue of several villages, gardens, and farmlands in the Isfahan region.¹⁰ In addition to the written endowment deed, an engraved stone inscription on the western side of the forecourt makes reference to the endowment, though only the initial lines remain legible.¹¹ The French traveler Chardin* noted that in the upper chamber of the mosque were kept a Quran and the cloak of Sheikh Ṣafī al-Dīn Ardabīlī, along with a Quran attributed to Imam Reza and a blood-stained shirt ascribed to Imam Hussein, hanging on the wall of the prayer niche (meḥrāb).¹² This account was repeated in Qajar- and Pahlavi-period sources,¹³ though its accuracy remains uncertain, and none of these relics survive today.

It appears that the mosque’s minarets served primarily a symbolic function, while the call to prayer (adhān) was made from a small wooden minaret (maʾdhane) constructed atop one of the shorter arches of the mosque. Nevertheless, according to Chardin, climbing the minarets of the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque to perform the call to prayer was prohibited, since they directly overlooked the royal precinct and the surrounding residences.¹⁴ Late Safavid sources mention an earthquake centered in Kashan in 1778/1192¹⁵ that caused damage to the two minarets flanking the entrance vaulted hall.¹⁶ The selection of hadiths inscribed on various parts of the mosque is particularly noteworthy. Many of them were drawn from authoritative Sunni sources, with explicit citation of their textual origins. Their contents focus mainly on affirming the legitimacy of Imam Ali, as the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad, or on extolling the virtues of him and the Prophet’s household (ahl al-bayt), such as in the inscription encircling the eastern domed chamber. The first hadith in this inscription is the Hadith of Ghadīr, quoted from al-musnad of Aḥmad ebn Ḥanbal.¹⁷ Earlier scholars have shown that the Quranic verses and hadiths selected for the inscriptions of the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque were chosen so deliberately that the very walls of the mosque became like the pages of a book expressing the doctrines and history of Twelver Shiism. These researchers have identified Sheikh Bahāʾī* (d. 1622/1031) as the most plausible figure responsible for selecting the verses and traditions,¹⁸ although the date of his death does not fully support this hypothesis. The earliest inscriptions containing hadiths or Quranic verses in the mosque date to 1626/1035.¹⁹

Alongside its regular use for the five daily prayers, several Safavid sources sporadically mention that the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque hosted Shiite religious ceremonies such as the commemorations of Tāsū‛ā and ‛Āshūrā (ninth and tenth of Muḥarram),²⁰ the consecration of gifts offered to the Shah,²¹ the performance of Friday prayers,²² and the funerals of prominent figures.²³ Moreover, it is reported that between the reigns of Shah ‛Abbās I and Shah Sulṭān Hussein, the mosque attained a notable scholarly status,²⁴ housing distinguished scholars such as Ākhūnd Mullā Hussein Burūjirdī²⁵ and Mīr Muhammad Esmā‛īl Khātūn-ābādī*,²⁶ who resided there with their students for teaching and study. Another important function of the mosque was the public announcement and display of royal decrees. Two inscriptions within the mosque, dated 1626/1035²⁷and 1629/1038²⁸ respectively, record edicts issued by Shah ‛Abbās I reducing or abolishing taxes and levies on various groups of merchants. According to historical accounts, the accession sermon announcing the enthronement of the new Safavid monarch was delivered by the Friday prayer leader in this mosque.²⁹  The mosque further served as a place of refuge where the populace could assemble in protest and make their grievances heard by the authorities, as noted in Safavid-period sources.³⁰ For instance, in the endowment deed, Shah ‛Abbās explicitly ordered that, in times when the people sought refuge within the mosque, government officials and soldiers carrying arms were strictly forbidden to enter the premises in order to disperse the protesters.³¹ It is also reported that after Ashraf the Afghan seized Isfahan, Friday prayers continued to be held in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque.³² From the late Safavid era until the Qajar period, no major events connected to the mosque are recorded; nevertheless, it is believed that during this interval, the mosque continued to maintain its religious, social, and scholarly functions.

The Qajar monarchs likewise used the mosque’s space as a venue for the proclamation of royal decrees. Examples include the inscription announcing the abolition of the tax on grain merchants and bakers, issued by order of Fatḥ-Ali Shāh in 1824/1240,³³ and another inscription exempting bakers from taxation, commissioned by Nāṣer al-Dīn Shah in 1851/1268.³⁴ From 1907/1325, the year immediately following the Constitutional* Revolution, until the early 1910s/330s—the last period for which reports record constitutionalist activities within the mosque—the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque gained renewed significance as a secure site for protest and refuge by the people of Isfahan against both local and central authorities.³⁵ The sit-in and demonstrations against Ẓell al-Sulṭān*, governor of Isfahan, in 1907/1325,³⁶ the formation of constitutionalist associations such as the ‘Ulamāʾ Alliance Association (Anjuman-e Eteḥādīye-ye ‛Ulamā-ye A‛lām)³⁷ and the Sa‛ādat-e Sādāt Association (Anjuman-e Sa‛ādat-e Sādāt),³⁸ and the holding of their meetings inside the mosque are notable examples of its socio-political role during this period. Another major incident took place in 1910/1328, when public protest and a sit-in against Eqbāl al-Dawla, the new governor of Isfahan, broke out in front of the mosque and led to the construction of barricades inside and in the outer courtyard. Government forces fired cannon shots towards the demonstrators, causing serious damage to the mosque’s entrance portal and minarets.³⁹

From the early years of the Pahlavi period onwards, public concern over the damage sustained by the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque increased.⁴⁰ Between 1928/1307 and 1931/1310, several articles appeared in Isfahan newspapers expressing anxiety and protest over the theft of the mosque’s tiles,⁴¹ the cracks and structural deterioration of the building,⁴² and criticism of using the mosque as a place for sit-ins.⁴³ In 1931/1310, repairs were undertaken in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque, during which its religious and educational activities were suspended. The first reference to the renewed use of the mosque’s space during the Pahlavi restoration period appears in a report dated 1944/1323, which mentions the holding of school examinations within the building.⁴⁴ Regarding Friday prayers, it is noted that Reza Shah Pahlavi, before 1941/1320, had prohibited the performance of Friday prayers, supplications, and mourning rituals in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque, and that this ban continued for some time.⁴⁵ Nevertheless, a report from 1961/1340 mentions Sheikh Mahdi Najafī as the mosque’s prayer leader, which may indicate the resumption of congregational prayer at that time.⁴⁶ Subsequent reports up to 1963/1342 record the holding of supplication gatherings and memorial ceremonies for religious scholars in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque.⁴⁷

Another noteworthy aspect concerning the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque was the restriction on the entry of non-Muslims into its premises. Several travelers and foreign dignitaries referred to this prohibition in their travel accounts.⁴⁸ From the late 1950s/1330s, however, reports document visits by foreign figures such as the Queen of England and the Queen of Belgium,⁴⁹ indicating that by this period non-Muslim visitors were permitted to enter the mosque. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979/1357, some reports suggest that the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque resumed its full religious function and that entry by tourists or non-worshippers was once again prohibited.⁵⁰ The exact date when the mosque was reopened to visitors remains unknown.

Coinciding with the early days of the Islamic Revolution 1979/1357, the names Masjed-e Shah and Naqsh-e Jahān Square* became popularly known as Masjed-e Emām and Emām Square, respectively. The title “Emām” referred to the leader of the Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini. The tradition of Friday prayer*, revived in Isfahan during the Revolution under the leadership of Sayyed Jalāl al-Dīn Ṭāherī*, was held at first in the Musallā Mosque* on Mīr Street, and—on the days leading up to the victory of the Revolution and in the subsequent years—was occasionally performed in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque (Masjed-e Emām) or in Naqsh-e Jahān Square itself, particularly in the heat of summer or during rainy winter days. After the full restoration of the Musallā Mosque, Friday prayers in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque became rare. Another significant point is that, during the Islamic Republic period, the seminary function of the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque was not revived. It remains unclear in which year the seminary students who once resided in the mosque’s cells were relocated. Today, the building is regarded as a historical and cultural monument, highly valued for its architectural preservation, tourism potential, and role in safeguarding historical identity. During hours when no prayers are held, both Muslim and non-Muslim visitors may enter and tour the mosque upon purchasing an entry ticket.

/Golriz Nafisi /

Bibliography

Besides the reports cited in the text preserved at the National Archives and Library of the Central Region of Iran.

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1. Sanson, p. 67.[↩]
2. Eskandar Munshī, vol. 2, p. 831.[↩]
3. Hunarfar, p. 429.[↩]
4. See: “Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī, Mosque, Architectural Section” *[↩]
5. Khātūn-ābādī, p. 501; Mullā Kamāl Munajjem, p. 81; see also Hunarfar, p. 429: the inscription text on the portal of the mosque, in which Shah ‛Abbās declared that the construction expenses of the mosque were paid from his own treasury.[↩]
6. For the text of the waqf-nāme and its details, see Sepantā, pp. 51–61; asnād-e mawqūfāt-e Isfahan, vol. 6, pp. 215–229.[↩]
7. Sepantā, pp. 57–58; asnād-e mawqūfāt-e Isfahan, vol. 6, pp. 223–225.[↩]
8. Sepantā, p. 60; asnād-e mawqūfāt-e Isfahan, vol. 6, pp. 228–229.[↩]
9. Sepantā, pp. 58–59; asnād-e mawqūfāt-e Isfahan, vol. 6, pp. 223–225.[↩]
10. Sepantā, pp. 51–55; asnād-e mawqūfāt-e Isfahan, vol. 6, pp. 215–222.[↩]
11. Sepantā, pp. 49–50; see also Rafīʿī Mehr-ābādī, p. 667, who states regarding this stone inscription: “…It is said that in former times the waqf document was inscribed on it, but during the reign of Nāder Shah it was effaced, and only this phrase remains readable: ‘Besme Allāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm’.”[↩]
12. Chardin, vol. 2, p. 123.[↩]
13. Flandin, p. 160; Rosen, p. 266; Jāberī Anṣārī, p. 147; Jenāb Esfahānī, p. 178.[↩]
14. Chardin, vol. 4, p. 1436.[↩]
15. Khātūn-ābādī, p. 575.[↩]
16. Ibid., p. 572.[↩]
17. Hunarfar, p. 449.[↩]
18. Babayan, p.214, no.27, p.234; Khoury, p.157-158.[↩]
19. For more details on the list of inscriptions, discussions of variant readings of the mosque’s inscriptions, subsequent alterations, the deliberate order in selecting hadith and Quranic verses, and the analysis of possible individuals responsible for these selections, see Ekramī, 1404/2025.[↩]
20. The waqf-nāme explicitly mentions the expenses for the Ta‛sūʿā and ‛Āshūrā ceremonies in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque; see Sepantā, p. 57.[↩]
21. Chardin, vol. 2, p. 640.[↩]
22. Vaḥīd Qazvīnī, p. 728, reports the presence of Shah ‛Abbās II attending the Friday prayer in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque: “His Majesty, the Shadow of the Merciful… graciously proceeded to the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque of the royal capital Isfahan, performing the Friday prayer and following the Imam Muhammad Muḥsen Kāshānī.”[↩]
23. For examples of funeral ceremonies held in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque, see Naṣīrī, p. 33, which reports the death and funeral of Shah Sulaymān II and the mourning ceremonies held in the mosque; see also Khātūn-ābādī, p. 572, mentioning the funeral of the governor of Isfahan, Mīrzā ‛Abdul-Vahhāb.[↩]
24. asnād-e mawqūfāt-e Isfahan, vol. 6, p. 225: the waqf-nāme reads, “Eleven teachers… shall take two days of the week for rest and dedicate the remaining days to teaching within the aforementioned mosque…,” showing the mosque’s scholarly function.[↩]
25. Khātūn-ābādī, p. 532.[↩]
26. Mahdavī, p. 91.[↩]
27. For examples of royal accession sermons delivered in the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque, see Muhammad Ma‛ṣūm, p. 39; Mullā Kamāl Munajjem, p. 81; Shāmlū, pp. 208–209 (all on the sermon of Shah Ṣafī); Khātūn-ābādī, p. 530 (on the sermon of Shah Sulaymān II).[↩]
28. For the inscription text, see Hunarfar, pp. 444–446.[↩]
29. Naṣīrī, p. 21.[↩]
30. For the inscription text, see Hunarfar, pp. 435–436.[↩]
31. Sepantā, p. 61.[↩]
32. Rustam al-Ḥukamā, p. 168 (reports an assassination attempt on Ashraf Afghān during a Friday prayer at the Jāme‛ ‛Abbāsī Mosque).[↩]
33. For the inscription text, see Hunarfar, p. 458.[↩]
34. For the inscription text, ibid., p. 459.[↩]
35. For descriptions of examples of sit-ins (bast-neshīnī) held in the mosque, see Ḥājj Sayyāḥ, pp. 612–613; Humāyī, p. 701; Isfahan: az enqelāb-e mashrūṭeh tā jang-e jahānī-ye avval, pp. 159–16.[↩]
36. This event was reported in Jahād-e Akbar newspaper, Wednesday 6 March 1907/21 Muḥarram 1325.[↩]
37. Isfahan: az enqelāb-e mashrūṭe tā jang-e jahānī-ye avval, pp. 90–91.[↩]
38. Ibid., p. 11.[↩]
39. This incident was published in two newspapers of Isfahan: “Qaẓīyy-ye natīje-ye estebdād,” Jahād-e Akbar, 19 Muḥarram 1327; and the other in Nāqūr, 27 February 1909/4 Ṣafar 1327. See Isfahan: az enqelāb-e mashrūṭeh tā jang-e jahānī-ye avval, pp. 214–217; see also Humāyī, pp. 698–703; Ḥājj Sayyāḥ, pp. 611–615.[↩]
40. Several of these reports appeared in Akhgar newspaper; see “Mā ḥaqq-e ḥayāt dārīm,” Akhgar, vol. 1, no. 27, 5 December 1928/14 Āzar 1307; “Mā ḥaqq-e ḥayāt dārīm,” Akhgar, vol. 1, no. 31, 10 December 1928/19 Āzar 1307; “Kharābī-ye ṭāq-e Chārsū Maqṣūd,” Akhgar, vol. 1, no. 69, 7 February 1929/18 Bahman 1307; and “Qābel-e tavajjuh ḥukūmat-e jalīle va rīyāsat-e naẓmīyye,” Akhgar, vol. 1, no. 96, 31 March 1928/11 Farvardīn 1307.[↩]
41. For this report, see “Eqdāmāt-e Ma‛āref va Awqāf-e Isfahan dar bāreh-ye Masjed-e Shah,” Akhgar, vol. 2, no. 435, 10 Mehr 1309.[↩]
42. This subject appeared in scattered newspapers of the period; for instance: “Marthīyye bar āthār-e tārīkhī-ye Isfahan,” Rāh-e Nejāt, vol. 5, no. 17, 30 August 1920/8 Shahrīvar 1299; Sa‛īd Nafīsī, “Āthār-e tārīkhī-ye Isfahan yā ‛alāʾem-e bī-ḥessī-ye mā,” Akhgar, 14 July 1929/23 Tīr 1308; and “Mawqūfāt-e Masjed-e Shah dast-e kīst?” Akhgar, vol. 1, no. 173, 11 August 1929/20 Murdād 1308.[↩]
43. Isfahan: az enqelāb-e mashrūṭeh tā jang-e jahānī-ye avval, pp. 347–348.[↩]
44. See: National Archives and Library of the Central Region of Iran, “Barguzārī-ye emteḥānāt dar Masjed-e Shah-e Isfahan va darkhāst barā-ye barguzārī-ye emteḥānāt-e dukhtarān-e bī-ḥejāb va aqallīyyat-hā-ye maḍhabī dar makān-e dīgar,” 1944/1323, report no. 97/264/42.[↩]
45. Beshārat, pp. 94–95.[↩]
46. Ibid., p. 93.[↩]
47. See: National Archives and Library of the Central Region of Iran, “Barguzārī-ye majles-e tarḥīm-e Ayatollah Shīrāzī dar Masjed-e Shah-e Isfahan,” 1946/1325, report no. 97/264/443; “Barguzārī-ye majles-e khatm-e Nāẓem-e Kārkhāne-ye Vaṭan Isfahan dar Masjed-e Shah,” 1952/1331, report no. 97/264/433; “Barguzārī-ye majles-e tarḥīm barā-ye afsarān va sarbāzān-e shahīd-e fāj‛e-ye Semīram dar Masjed-e Shah-e Isfahan,” 1962/1341, report no. 97/264/410.[↩]
48. Dieulafoy (pp. 318–320) notes the difficulties in obtaining permission to enter the mosque and the special arrangements required; Kazama (p. 72) states that as the first non-Muslim minister he entered the mosque; Thévenot (pp. 80–81) writes that Christians were forbidden to enter and he did so in disguise; Stewart (p. 259) notes that he was denied entry.[↩]
49. Reference to the visit of the Queen of England in 1960/1339 and the Queen of the Netherlands in1963/1342 (Beshārat, pp. 88–90, 137).[↩]
50. On 29 October 1979/7 Ābān 1358, an inquiry was sent to the office of Imam Khomeini asking: “…The Imam Khomeini Mosque (formerly Masjed-e Shah) in Isfahan — which after the Revolution 1979 has been used solely for religious activities — is now to have tickets sold for visitors as before, during the time of oppression. Please clarify whether tickets may be sold or if the mosque should remain exclusively for religious purposes.” The reply stated that it should be used only for religious programs (see Imam Khomeini, vol. 7, p. 22).[↩]