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    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

    Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

    Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

    Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

    Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

    Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

    Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

    Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

    Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

    Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

    Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

    Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

    Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

    Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

    The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

    The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

    Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

    Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

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      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

      Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

      Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

      Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

      Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

      Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

      Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

      Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

      Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

      Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

      Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

      Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

      Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

      Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

      The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

      The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

      Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

      Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

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      Sheikh Lotfullah Mosque in Isfahan

      inMy Travels
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      “To many, the silent theology of Islamic art can speak more profoundly and clearly than the most dazzling treatise, and its beauty can be more evident and persuasive than the strongest argument”

      https://renovatio.zaytuna.edu/article/the-silent-theology-of-islamic-art

      The writer of this article lists Sheikh Lotfullah Mosque in Isfahan as one of those “that communicate the beauty and truth of its revelation with a profound directness simply unmatched by articles or books about Islam.”

      And indeed he’s right.

      The Naqsh e Jahan /Emam Square in Isfahan is home to some of the greatest architectural treasures of Iran.

      The Sheikh Lotfullah Mosque billed as the prettiest Mosque in the world is on the eastern side of the Naqsh e Jahan / Emam square facing the AL Qapu palace. From outside it is like any other Iranian Mosque but as you enter you realize you are in for a treat.

      It was built in the early 17thcentury (from 1603 to 1619) under the order of Shah Abbas the Great, the Safavid king by the prominent architect Sheikh Bahai. There is an inscription on its main entrance giving the starting date of construction.

      Since the Mosque is quite small and doesn’t have minarets which were used by muezzin to give azan or call for prayer or a courtyard used for congregations it is believed that it was built for the royal ladies living in the palace across.

      The interior iwans which the gateway leads to are definitely suitable for the women of the king’s harem because of the seclusion they offer

      a tunnel was built from Ali Qapu Palace to the mosque, on Shah Abbas’ command so that the ladies of the royal family did not have to walk across the square in public gaze.

      This reminds me of the various surangs or tunnels in our ancestral home in Shamsabad built for exactly the same purpose – purdah!

      The main entrance would have been protected by the guards and there’s only one entrance to it. So complete security and privacy.

      The mosque was dedicated to Shah Abbas’s father-in-law, Sheikh Lutfallah, a revered Lebanese Islam scholar who died in 1622.

      The plan as is normal in many mosques is octagonal with squinches to form the huge dome as in Sassanid architecture

      As the square was not Qibla facing and thus the entrance could not be aligned to it, an L-shaped hallway connecting the entrance and the sanctuary of the mosque. It lies at a 45 degrees to the square. This design was thought of by the architect Mohammad Reza Isfahani to overcome the problem of alignment.

      The entire mosque is decorated by seven-colored mosaics (called as haft-rang tiles in Persian). The calligraphy was supervised by Ali Reza Abbasi, the famous Iranian master of calligraphy.

      I visited during Ramzan and saw that a curtain was stretched across to divide & provide space for men and women to pray

      So we could all offer our prayers in peace.

      The difference in alignment of dome and entrance can be seen here.

      ( above Pic from net not by me)

      The tiles mesmerize you. You are in blue and gold heaven!

       

       

       

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      Rana Safvi

      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.