TEHRAN – The Iranian tourism minister has said his ministry seeks to win a UNESCO label for a selection of its historical mosques.

“We in the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts are compiling a dossier for [a selection of] historical mosques for [a possible] registration in UNESCO’s tangible World Heritage list,” Ezzatollah Zarghami said on Monday.

He made the remarks in a conference held in Tehran’s Laleh Hotel, saying that following that designation is at the top of the agenda.

The minister said mosques along with other religious places have long been a distinctive element of the Iranian culture that should be preserved.

“In Iranian and Islamic culture, mosques are blessed places of faith and cultural heritage and we must do our best to protect them,” he said.

 In every corner of Iran, cascades of photogenic domes and minarets can be seen as inseparable elements of mosques, some of which are widely known as timeless benchmarks of Islamic architecture.Home to numerous cultural and historical gems, Iran is willing to gain UNESCO labels for similar items collectively. So far, the country has secured UNESCO tags dedicated to 54 of its caravanserais, Armenian monastic ensembles, Persian gardens, and qanats.

A mosque, locally called masjed (aka masjid, which is “a place of prostration” to God), is any house or open area of prayer in Islam. Generally speaking, the architecture of mosques in Iran is a combination of symmetry, geometric designs, and vibrant colors.

In every corner of Iran, cascades of photogenic domes and minarets can be seen as inseparable elements of mosques, some of which are widely known as timeless benchmarks of Islamic architecture.

Among the country’s must-see, gorgeous places of worship are Nasir Al-Molk Mosque in Shiraz, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Isfahan, Shah Cheragh Mosque in Shiraz, Imam Mosque of Isfahan, Jameh Mosque of Yazd, Blue Mosque in Tabriz, Goharshad Mosque in Mashhad, Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, Agha Bozorg Mosque in Kashan, to name a few.

From an architectural point of view, Iranian mosques vary from one region to another, due to geometric structures, materials, and styles specific to each location. These mosques often have very complex structures in which color variations, tiles, and symbolic designs are used.

Islamic architecture, building traditions of Muslim populations from the 7th century on, finds its highest expression in religious buildings such as the mosque and madrasah. Early Islamic religious architecture, according to Britannica, exemplified by Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock (691 CE) and the Great Mosque (705) in Damascus, drew on Christian architectural features such as domes, columnar arches, and mosaics but also included large courts for congregational prayer and a mihrab. From early times, the characteristic semicircular horseshoe arch and rich, nonrepresentational decoration of surfaces were employed. Religious architecture came into its own with the creation of the hypostyle mosque in Iraq and Egypt. In Iran, a mosque plan consisting of four eyvans (vaulted halls) opening onto a central court was used.

AFM