Zia’iya School

Fahadan locality is one of the old neighborhoods of Yazd City, with many historical sites. This neighborhood is considered to be the core of the formation of Yazd City. Zia’iya School or “Zendan-e Eskandar” is one of these historical buildings that was built by a person named Ziauddin Hossein Razi. According to a narration popular among the people of Yazd, he was a famous mystic and had trained many students during his lifetime.

History of Zia’iya School

The construction of the school dates back to the rule of the Muzaffarid and Ilkhanate dynasties. The construction of this building had started in 1427 AD and after the death of Ziauddin, the founder of the structure, his two sons, Majad al-Din Hassan and Sharaf al-Din, completed it in 1499 AD. This school is located next to some other historical buildings of Yazd City like the Davazdah Imam Memorial, Jame’ Mosque of Yazd, Arabzadeh House, and Heydarzadeh Museum of Coins and Anthropology; among which the Davazdah Imam Memorial is the oldest.

This building was originally built as a school, making it an old Iranian school, whose architecture was created according to the needs of the educational system of the time.

The reason this structure is called “Alexander’s Prison” or even “Harun Al-Rashid’s Prison” is the presence of a dark basement in it, which can only be accessed through a narrow staircase, and if this staircase is closed, it will look like a prison. Punishment of students by being put in this basement for some time may be the reason why it is referred to as “prison”.

There is also a popular story among the people of Yazd, according to which, after invading Iran, Alexander established a fortress to keep the prisoners and survivors of the previous ruling system in “Katha”, which was the old name of the central district of Yazd. This fortress became known as Alexander’s Prison and later on, the Zia’iya School was founded in the same building by making some changes in it.

Of course, there is no evidence in any of the historical documents that Alexander passed through the areas around the city of Yazd, and this story is only popular among the common people. Nevertheless, keeping in view the strategic location of Yazd, which justified the deployment of Greek troops, it can be accepted that this area may have been used as a camp by Alexander’s army.

The Architecture of Zia’iya School

This building has been built with four porches and there is a courtyard in the center. The general style of the building can be considered the “Azari” style, which was popular during the Ilkhanate era and is also known as the Iranian-Mongolian style of architecture.

The dome, windcatcher, central courtyard, and two other courtyards on both sides of the building along with some small rooms make up the different components of the building. The depth of the cellar in the building is seven meters, and the height of the dome, which is made entirely of adobe, is about 18 meters. The dome (the space under the dome) has suffered a lot of damage in the course of more than 800 years since its construction.

There is a well in the central part of the yard, which is connected to the cellar. This well has a diameter of nearly four meters and is considered a place that was used to escape the heat during hot summer days. This cellar also made it possible to access the water of the Allahabad Qanat. However, some people consider this place to have been a dungeon.

The Stages of the Construction of Zia’iya School

Based on the investigations, this school was probably built in two stages:

• In the first stage, the old dome was built at the time of the Mongol invasion (1219 AD) and its purpose was to create a tomb. Therefore, it seems that building a school was not the original purpose of the founder.

• In the second stage, which happened about 200 years later, a person who was a descendant of the builder of the dome founded a school there.

Restorations

The use of adobe and clay as the only materials for the construction of the building has been the cause of damage to its various parts over the years. In the late 1980s, restorations were done on the dome and porch of the school. Such restorations, along with periodic maintenance, have saved this building from complete destruction.

The main operation carried out to restore the building is related to the wooden doors of the building, which were almost destroyed by termites. These doors are decorated with wooden knots.

Zia’iya School was inscribed on the list of Iran’s national heritage in the year 1968 AD.

The reason this structure is called “Alexander’s Prison” or even “Harun Al-Rashid’s Prison” is the presence of a dark basement in it, which can only be accessed through a narrow staircase, and if this staircase is closed, it will look like a prison.