The mosques of Meybod

The mosque is the most outstanding and identified building in creation and growth of cities in Islamic era and it has been a very efficient element in Ancient urbanization of Meybod. Being located at the heart of City or quarter, the mosques form the daily place of people’s associations and social religious life. The constructions like cisterns, Hosseinieh, caravansaries and Bazaars around the mosques complete these social interactions.

The construction of mosques has often attracted to wealthy charitable people of Meybod and the customer of construction or Amendment of the mosques is a trend in this area. VAQF (alms and donations) could guarantee the constructions of the mosques and their Endurance. Their designs and structures vary according to their locations and positions. In the geographical expansion of Meybod, the mosques are divided into a few types according to their Urban States:

     1-Jame mosque of the city

  1. Jamie mosque of the village (Rabaz)
  2. Quarter mosques
  3. Praying rooms (Namazkhane)
  4. Desert mosques
  5. Gharibkhaneh (strangers’ houses)

The grand mosque (Masjed Jame) of Meybod

The grand mosque (Masjed Jame) of Meybod, which is the oldest and the first mosque from the beginning of Islam era in Meybod, is the most important mosque. It functions widely for the whole city, and besides its religious significance for the place to hold Friday prayers, it has had a governmental significance throughout history; that is why different layers of architecture are evident in this mosque. Every one of the outskirts, regarding their antiquity and importance, has a famous mosque which is called Jame mosque; they all possess the same features of the central jame mosque of the city. As mentioned, in the location of the mosque, places such as Bazar, cistern and Hosseinieh are built that are in fact the center of cultivation and Civilization. The mosques of the old out skirts like Barjin and Firooz abad have ancient structures at the core of the present construction and newer outskirts also in the same manner have newer Jame mosques. The scope of the function of Jame mosques of the out skirts is through the villages and has somehow governmental-public status. Each of the quarters of Meybod (trial quarters of Sharestan with their Sub-quarters, out outskirts and their Sub-quarters) has separately its own mosques which is allocated for the daily prayers of the resident of the quarter; they usually have very limited space which is at most as big as a residential unit. These mosques have been built with the financial aids of people and are usually called after the name of the quarters or persons like “Kolousar” mosque or “Hamzeh Ali” mosque. In the locations like the markets or Bazaars where daily affairs of people were carried on, a space was given to their praying place which was sometimes quiet elaborate, like The mosque of “Sarab-e Godaliha” in the right side of Meybod Bazaar and also beside the entrance of water cistern in the outskirts. The desert praying rooms were located beside the fields or on the way of the villages for the passengers. The water and maintenance expenses were provided by people’s charity and donations. In each Village or midways of villagers, a place called a stranger’s house (Garib Khaneh) existed which was for the praying and resting of the passengers and strangers. The mosques of Meybod often have a one-Ivan plan which consists of summer space with the domed chamber, portico, winter portico (warm house) and the Court yard. The designs and the plans of Meybod mosques are somehow provincial which have emerged and been formed throughout years and the desert like climate has had a major role in their formations. High Ivan with an open mouth on the direction of kiblah in the hot season of summer, very efficiently leads the cool wind into the summer portico so that people would conveniently pray under the pleasant Shadows of portico.


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