Nasir ol-Molk Mosque : a place where light and color dance

If People of Isfahan are proud of having blue mosque in Imam square, the people of Shiraz are proud of having pink mosque in south of shah cheragh shrine in south of bazar.

Nasiro-ol Molk Mosque: a place where light and color dance

There is no doubt that mosques in Iran are the flourishing reflection of Iranian culture and history. In every corner of Iran you can find a masterpiece in art and culture which has reflection in the form of a mosque and the variation of these mosques shows the diversity of Iranian culture and Persian tribes form more than 3000 years until today. Just by quickly looking at a mosque you can predict how old the culture and history of Persia or Iran is .

History of Nasiro-ol-Molk Mosque

The history of this mosque returns back to Qajars dynasty and Qajar era. According to the documents and written history this beautiful mosque was made by nasir-ol-molk , an elite man from the militaries at that time and donated as an old tradition to the people to use and worship god according to the ruling system in Islam means shariah. Amazing architecture of this mosque is mind blowing and there is no doubt nasir-ol-molk mosque is one of the best and most beautiful mosque whole the country. Contrary to a very old tradition in making mosques covered by blue or navy blue colored tiles this mosque is covered mostly by pink colored tiles which made the opportunity to name nasir-ol-molk mosque as pink mosque in the dialect of normal people in shiraz. The name of the architect and tile maker is carved on stone tablets above the main gates of the mosque and date of establishment of the mosque goes back to the Qajar era and 18th century. This mosque, like the other mosques, was repaired and rebuilt many times and after revolution it changed its functionality more or less into a museum form and each year thousands of local and international tourists visit this mosque during visiting Shiraz and Fars province in Iran.

Amazing architecture Nasir ol-Molk Mosque

This mosque is typically a four Ivan mosque but because of the restrictions in size and location the only gate which is more functional is the western gate which is located exactly 90 degrees to the main hall. The other two smaller gates end to another religious shrine named imamzade jafar and the other ends to the south street. This mosque today is very known and famous to visitors because of colored glasses in the west part and the fine tiling of the walls are so delicate and odd in form and color which today most of the people know this mosque as pink mosque instead of nasiro-ol-molk mosque. The very normal color of tiles on the walls of the jami mosques in Iran is blue and people love this color and in every remote corner of Iran you can find blue tiles which h covered walls of Mosques and other religious building but in Pink mosque or nasir-ol-molk mosque this rule is broken and the prominent color of the tiles are pinkish and architects took the advantage of colorful tiles to cover plane surface of the walls which mostly made from boring bricks in yellowish color.
In western praying hall you can find the picturesque images of flora and animals and natural lighting which finds its way to the colorful glasses of big windows and doors make a very interesting combination of color and arts in a very accurate geometry. The colorful light which is penetrating to the main summer praying hall makes an accurate form and makes pink mosques Iran unique and antique enough to attract millions of national and international tourists each year. To find the best time to visit this hall it is better to choose morning times in winter and stay there for a long time to understand the best time to see the combination of colorful lights on the floor and especially carpets in the hall of pink mosque shiraz.
One of the reasons architects used this colorful lighting is not accidental and there is an experience of thousands of years behind this technology. Scientist understood that by choosing and mixing special colors you can use this color light as fly repellent and in combination of these colors the flies and other insects which hate this wavelength escape from the windows and even in very hot summers of the year which is very important for insects you cannot find even one fly in the interior of rooms and mosques.
This beautiful mosque is unique in form and color and by visiting different parts of the mosque you understand that this mosque is between at least five most interesting mosques in Iran. But because of the colors and forms of tiles which is typical just in Shiraz we can say that this mosque is unique and you cannot find any copy of that in Iran and other countries.

Best time to visit Nasir al-Molk Mosque

The best time to visit pink mosque Iran is in winter and around first hours of day when the rays of sun and natural right penetrate to the glass windows in oblique angle and the mixture of colorful lights make geometrical designs and the reflection of colors on the carpets which are covering the floor make unique images useful for selfies and photography. Because of this unique designs and images you can find many students, photographers, ordinary people and even masters in universities visiting this mosque in the mornings of the year especially in winters, to create memorable photos from this historical and masterpiece in architecture and design.

Different parts of the Nasir ol-Molk Mosque

When you are visiting different parts of the mosque you understand how sophisticated and functional it is made and how the architects and tile workers made sophisticated functional design meanwhile they added more beauty to this combination to make a heavenly atmosphere. No doubt nothing is made and positioned by accident and every detail is calculated and fixed in a very deliberate manner. In the summer hall you can find unique 12 pillars which are fluted and twisted designed forms in a way that resemble 12 names of shia Imams and leaders from one side and 12 months of the year from the other side.
The niche or mihrab in summer hall is unique in form, ornaments, tiles and design and all the floor is covered by unique beautiful tiles. Unfortunately all the floor is covered by beautiful and colorful handmade carpets and rugs and because of this you miss the beauty of tiles on the floor most of the time in the year except for the time of washing and cleaning. If you are lucky enough by accident you will find the bare floor and you will have the time to enjoy the beauty of the tiles which were made at least 2 centuries ago but because of quality in design and production you can find them shiny and in good health after this long time. In the main nave you can find the summit of beauty and functionality in making a masterpiece in the form of architecture. In this space you can find spirituality and manmade structure which you cannot find anywhere in Iran or even in the world. In main yard you will find two Ivans in north and south, in north you can find a vast space covered by 3 arched and dome which is named as pearl and this pearl arch yard is unique in form and spirituality and by this forming and color the harsh atmosphere of the space in hot summers and winters mitigate and provide a very pleasant atmosphere for the people who are worshiping their god and making their normal prayers during the year.
Contrary to the north part the south part is very simple and comparing the pearl arch this Ivan is not symmetrical to the other part. There are two doors which are ending to one room and the staircase to the roof which made this part not very similar to the form of the north porch. Actually the south porch is designed just to complete the form of the north one as most of the shia mosques have four ivans and two winter and summer praying halls and in this occasion because of the restrictions of lands and design the architect preferred to make the south porch simpler and the other sides ends to other spaces which are not very similar to other mosques in Iran. In the eastern part there are simpler designs and forms and there are not so many ornaments to cover the walls and there are just a few simple pillars and a space which is named as gavchah.
In the center of the yard there is a big shallow pool filled with water for many reasons. First of all in Islam there are many rules and procedures to push the Muslims to clean themselves and even our prophet Mohammad peace upon him ordered all people to clean themselves especially before and during prayers which are named as ablution. To provide water for people to clean themselves in old times they used water filled in the pool and even today in some parts of the country the people use this water and clean themselves before making normal prayers.
To provide water in different parts of the country the people used different ways. In some mosques they used spring water or water coming from ditches in the narrow streets of deserts. On this occasion they used a deep well to bring water to the surface and fill the pool of pink mosque Shiraz using bulls and string and wheels. In this mechanical system the bull or “Gav” in Farsi pulled the rope running to the well by a wheel. At the end of the rope there is a leather bucket which brings the water to the surface and this water runs to the pool via channels and fills the pool for the people who are waiting to clean themselves and make their own prayer.
A man pushed the bull back and forward to keep running the water from deep well to the surface and because the bull is running around the deep well and well in Persian language is “Chah” they named this space “Gavchah” or bull well . In the eastern part of the mosque you can find a gate to the shrine of some of the siblings of Mohammad the prophet (peace upon him). In Iran these siblings are named as “Imamzadeh” means a man who is a son of the sons of Mohammad and in normal shrines people visit and touch the building to bless themselves and ask something from god. This tradition has been followed by shia people for more than a thousand years and each one has his own name and nickname. On this occasion the nickname of this man is “Zanjiri” which means chained man.
In the eastern part you can find a museum and at the end you can enter and approach imamzadeh zanjiri shrine via the gate. Finally, we can recommend you to visit nasir-ol-molk mosque or pink mosque if you intend to visit one of the most beautiful mosques in Iran. Absolutely the pink mosque in Shiraz is in the same level as Blue mosque in Isfahan. Visiting nasir-ol-molk mosque is a bonus from God and an unforgettable experience you never forget if you spent your precious time visiting another country.