Vakil Mosque

Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, known as Soltani Mosque, is a historical monument that was built in Shiraz by order of Karim Khan Zand, one of the most peace-loving kings of Iran. Persiana Travel and Tourism Agency invites you to read this article about Vakil Mosque.

History of Vakil Mosque

Karim Khan Zand was one of the most powerful and at the same time fair kings of Zandieh, during whose rule Iran had a quiet time. In 1773, he ordered the construction of valuable Vakil Mosque. Vakil Mosque is one of the monuments of Vakil complex that Karim Khan Zand has left in his capital. According to the quotations, Karim Khan himself directly supervised the design and construction of the Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, and it is even stated that he undertook the design of this mosque himself.

For this reason, Vakil Mosque is considered as a symbol of his humility toward human beings, because despite its magnificent beauties, it has a simple design. The absence of a dome and minaret in the Vakil Mosque, can be a sign of being far from the luxury life, so Karim Khan preferred to build a simple mosque over a magnificent one.

The construction Vakil Mosque took only two years, which shows that it was really important for Karim Khan to do things on time, accurately and reduce costs. Vakil Mosque of Shiraz was rebuilt by the son of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, Hossein Ali Mirza Farmanfarma, and after that some of its tiles and floor have been restored by the Antiquities Preservation Office. In 1932, Vakil Mosque was registered as one of the historical and architectural monuments among the national monuments of Iran. Vakil Mosque is now at the disposal of the Endowment Organization as one of the sights of Shiraz.

Architecture

Vakil Mosque of Shiraz has an area of ​​11,000 square meters. The foundation of Vakil Mosque is 8,860 square meters and includes the naves, courtyards and beautiful porches. Vakil Mosque with two porches is designed in a way that in addition to its extraordinary, it has a special tranquility and purity and people feel comfortable in it.

Vakil Mosque is built next to the Vakil Bazaar for the daily use of the people and is in accordance with the demands of the people. So that the businessman who gives up his work for prayer, entering Vakil Mosque and enjoy the magnificent beauties of it such as the pearl arch and the large nave. The decorations of Vakil Mosque are really beautiful and varied. In every corner of Vakil Mosque you could see a spectacular image of the art of tiling, carving, enameling and calligraphy that will definitely mesmerize you.

Entrance of Vakil Mosque

The main entrance of Vakil Mosque is very spectacular with high quality tiles and muqarnas. To the west of Vakil Bazaar, near the Swordsmen line, you can see the splendor and dignity of the beautiful entrance of Vakil Mosque. Vakil Mosque has several other entrances from the Vakil Bazaar and the surrounding alleys. The entrance of Vakil Mosque has a beautiful arch that is decorated with seven-color tiles of flower and plant design. Two of the entrance of the mosque are extremely awesome which have a height of seven meters and a width of 3 meters. Above of entrance an inscription of Quranic verses in Naskh script can be seen the date of which is 1927. Another inscription can be seen above the entrance of Vakil Mosque, which shows the names of Fath Ali Shah and Hussein Ali Mirza.

The magnificent masonry and tiling of the ceiling of Vakil Mosque also show you the wonder of Iranian art. Crossing the entrance of Vakil Mosque, we enter an octagonal corridor with two corridors on its left and right, which lead us to the courtyard of the Vakil Mosque. Each corridor has a 90-degree angle. One of the architectural strengths of this section of Vakil Mosque is that the corridors are designed in a way that one does not notice the change in the angle of the courtyard so that they can align the qibla of Vakil Mosque with the religious qibla and the facade of the mosque is consistent with the side doors of Vakil Bazaar.

Porches of vakil Mosque

North porch or pearl arch of Vakil Mosque: In the north of the courtyard of Vakil Mosque, there is a large and magnificent porch, which is called the Pearl Arch. This arch is 20 meters high and 20 meters wide and is very spectacular with stunning tiles and beautiful inscriptions. The pearl arch of Vakil Mosque has three arches inside. One of the arches leads to the mosque and the others form a portico with five meters wide. Two minarets make the sides of the porch more beautiful.

The beautiful porch of Vakil Mosque and its seven-color tiles will take you to the dream world of paradise. All the ceilings and walls of the arch are covered with seven-color tiles, which show the design of decorative flowers in the most beautiful way in Vakil Mosque. The inner marble plinths of the arch and the outer plinths are made of wheat stone which multiply the beauty of this arch. The inscriptions of this arch of Vakil Mosque are also very spectacular. In one of the inscriptions, the name of Fath Ali Shah Qajar and the name of the calligrapher, Mirza Hussein bin Mohammad Sharif Hakkak, are written on background of azure tiles. Another inscription of Vakil Mosque is under the Roman arch of the porch, which narrates Qur’anic verses.

South porch of Vakil Mosque: The south porch with four arches has a unique beauty. This porch of Vakil Mosque is situated in front of the pearl arch, which boasts its mesmerizing beauty with carved plinths and seven-color tiling. The porch wall is tiled with seven colors and the ceiling is beautifully decorated with mosaic tiles. There are two inscriptions in this porch on which the dates 1864 and 1865 are engraved.

Naves and Arches

The winter nave of Vakil Mosque: Behind the eastern porch, there is a large nave with 20 meters wide and 25 meters long, which stands with five openings to greet the worshipers. This nave of Vakil Mosque has 12 five-meter columns that carry the load of the roof in the same way. At the entrance of this nave, verses from the Holy Quran with beautiful calligraphy are engraved on inscriptions with azure background.
South nave of Vakil Mosque: The entrance of this nave is located in the southern part of Vakil Mosque, under the southern arch. This nave is so large and beautiful that it can immerse you in its beauty. The area of ​​south nave of Vakil Mosque is about five thousand meters. The columns of the southern nave of Vakil Mosque are one of the most unique beauties of Vakil Mosque. It has 48 columns in four rows of 12. The height of the columns is five meters and their diameter is 80 centimeters.

The arches of Vakil Mosque: On both the western and eastern sides of Vakil Mosque, there are 11 symmetrical arches, which are beautifully decorated with delicate tiles and beautiful inscriptions. Behind the arches of Vakil Mosque, on both the east and west sides, there are two small porticos. The walls of the arches are beautifully decorated with tiles of seven colors and the names of God, and make the courtyard environment more pleasant. It is interesting that half of a verse from the Holy Quran is engraved on the top of the sixth eastern arch of Vakil Mosque, the continuation of which is engraved on the top of the sixth western arch.

The pulpit and the altar of Vakil Mosque

The marble pulpit of Vakil Mosque has 14 steps which were brought from Maragheh by the order of Karim Khan Zand and it is said that this work was very difficult and costly. On the sides of the pulpit of Vakil Mosque, beautiful multi-feathered flowers have been carved, which makes the pulpit more beautiful. On the right side of the pulpit of Vakil Mosque, the beautiful altar is well placed. An altar with delicate and very spectacular decorations. The roof of the altar has delicate muqarnas and stunning tiling.

On the walls of the altar of Vakil Mosque, colorful flowers and shrubs are engraved with seven-color tiles. Moreover, “Ya Ali” pattern is visible as well, which is engraved on the walls in Kufic script. The plinth of the altar of Vakil Mosque is covered with marble stone and gives it a special beauty. Around the altar is an inscription that shows the verses of the Qur’an on a background of azure tiles with an amazing calligraphy.

In this article, we went to the beautiful Vakil Mosque in Shiraz together and enjoyed its unique beauties. Have you ever visited Vakil Mosque of shiraz? If not, check out Persiana Travel and Tourism Agency’s tours of Shiraz city.