TEHRAN - Jameh Mosque of Qazvin, which is one of the oldest Islamic structures in Iran, has undergone a new round of restoration, a local tourism official said on Monday.

The project is aimed to renovate and reinforce the Shabestan of the mosque, CHTN reported.

Shabestan is an underground space that can be usually found in Iran's traditional mosques, houses, and schools.

Better known as the Masjid-e-Jameh Atiq, the mosque is originally built on the site of a Sassanid fire temple, it was subsequently developed and expanded over several different periods.

Construction of the mosque was first ordered in 807 CE (192 AH) by the Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid. Under the Seljuk leaders (1038-1194), two iwans were added to its north.

The mosque follows the four-iwan typology; each iwan is centered on a large courtyard with a central fountain. This courtyard is one of the largest mosque courts in Iran, measuring nearly four thousand square meters.

In Islamic countries, the term Jameh mosque is referred to a vast center for community worship and Friday prayer services.

AFM