Jame’ Mosque of Darab; The Only Mosque in the World with Four Minarets

Following the advent of Islam in Iran and being welcomed by Iranians, many Zoroastrian places of worship were converted into mosques. It is said that the Jame’ Mosque of Darab was also a fire temple that was converted into a mosque. The history of this place probably dates back to the Sasanian era (3rd century AD).

Features of Jame’ Mosque of Darab

According to local people, Jame’ Mosque of Darab is the only mosque in the world with four minarets. Except for the minarets of the mosque, its architectural style also has remarkable features. One of the buildings that is very similar to this mosque is the tomb of Etemad al-Doulah Tehrani, the father of Nur Jahan, the Iranian queen of India. Nur Jahan was an Iranian lady who was born in 1577 AD and gained special influence and power after she married Jahangir, the Mughal emperor of India. She is known as the most powerful queen of India in the entire history of this country. Nur Jahan died on December 17, 1645 AD, and was buried in the mausoleum she had built in Lahore. The similarity of these two works indicates the cultural connection between the two countries in the 16th and 17th centuries.

History of Jame’ Mosque of Darab

There are differences of opinion regarding the age of this mosque. According to most historians, its construction dates back to before the Safavid era and the time of the Ilkhanate Dynasty (1256 to 1356 AD) while some others believe that this mosque was built at the same time as the city of Darab (in the BC era). On the other hand, some historians consider it to be related to the Safavid era and the reign of Shah Tahmasb (1524 to 1576) and believe that the architecture of the mosque was inspired by the buildings before the Safavid era. However, there is a stronger possibility that the mosque was established during the Ilkhanate era and restored during Shah Tahmasb’s period.

Architecture of Jame’ Mosque of Darab

The total area of the mosque is 380 square meters. It is built in a rectangular shape and there are four minarets in its four corners and date, orange, and bitter orange trees have been grown in its courtyard. Two millstones can also be seen in one corner of the yard, which were used to pound sarooj in the past.

The central Shabestan (nave) of the mosque covers the largest area. There are two large porches in the north and south of Shabestan and two small ones in the west. The roof of the porches is dome-shaped and shorter than the nave and is connected to the courtyard with 9 small and large vestibules.

Six crescent-shaped windows and two large windows direct the light into the nave. There are no decorations in the corridors and the nave, but there are plasterworks and muqarnas inside the niche.

A pulpit has been made with plaster and bricks in front of the southwest porch. Earlier, there used to be a large pond behind this porch, but no trace of it can be seen today. The reservoir in the western part of the mosque has also been destroyed.

Minarets of the Mosque

Unlike the minarets of other Iranian mosques, the four minarets of Darab mosque are not circular and have a regular eleven-sided structure. Qur’anic verses and the names of Shia Imams are written on the minarets. In the past, there were several stone inscriptions on the minarets, but today only one of them is left, which has been moved to the Haft-tanan Historical Stone Museum of Shiraz. The content of the surviving stone inscription is the issue of tax exemption for Darab merchants during the Qajar era (19th century).

The southern minarets of the mosque were restored in the last century, but the western minarets have remained unchanged. At the bottom of each minaret is a wooden door that opens to a spiral staircase. This staircase leads to the top of the minaret. The muezzins used to climb these stairs to recite the call to prayer and announce the time of daily prayers.

Jame’ Mosque of Darab was inscribed on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 1978.

Following the advent of Islam in Iran and being welcomed by Iranians, many Zoroastrian places of worship were converted into mosques.