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Seyyed Mosque (Persian: مسجد سید) is a historic 19th-century mosque located in Isfahan, Iran.[1] It was built during the rule of the Qajar dynasty, by the Shi'ite cleric Mohammad Bagher Shafti, one of the first clerics to receive the rank of Hujjatul Islam.[2] The mosque itself is active, but its construction is not entirely complete.[2][3]
| Seyyed Mosque | |
|---|---|
 A view of the mosque from the yard outside | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Twelver Shi'ite |
| Province | Isfahan Province |
| Year consecrated | 1825 |
| Status | Semi-incomplete structure, still active for prayers |
| Location | |
| Location | Isfahan, Iran |
| Municipality | Isfahan |
  Shown within Iran | |
| Geographic coordinates | 32.664722°N 51.663889°E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | mosque |
| General contractor | Probably Mohammad Bagher Shafti |
| Completed | late 19th century or early 20th century |
| Specifications | |
| Dome(s) | 2 |
| Materials | brick, cement, concrete tiling |
Construction of the mosque started in the year 1825.[2] It was built over an older plot of land planned for a mosque that was formerly owned by Safavid ruler, Soltan Hoseyn, but a mosque could not be built there until the Qajar era due to the invasion of Nader Shah Afshar and Hotaks.[4][2] After the death of Mohammad Bagher Shafti, only the tiling of the southern part of the mosque had been completed.[5] He was buried in the northeastern section of the mosque as well. The grandson of the cleric and subsequent descendants assisted in continuing the construction of the mosque.[5] Inscriptions date the whole construction process to be around 130 years, divided into four stages.[2][5] In the modern age, the mosque was damaged during the Iran-Iraq war.[2] It was then neglected due to disputes amongst the remaining family of Bagher Shafti.[1] In 2023, restoration and renovation works were planned to be carried out.[1]
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The plan and base of the Seyyed Mosque is generally a rectangular shape.[4] The mosque has two domes, the smaller, northeastern one over the mausoleum of Mohammad Bagher Shafti and his family.[5][3] The mosque has four main iwans leading to it, as well as a lot of corridors within the structure.[5][2][3] The exterior of the mosque is enhanced with Qajar-era decorative tiling.[5][4][3]
The mosque does not have a minaret.[2][4][5][3] Instead, it has a tall clock tower, located behind one of the iwans. In general, the architecture of the mosque, especially the window design[2] is student-friendly, so that it could be used as a school or madrasah in the 19th century as well.[2]
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