A Comparative Study of Mosque Architecture During the Safavid Period and After the Islamic Revolution Based on the Principles of Faith and the Beliefs of the Shi‘a School
Keywords:
Mosque, Shiite school, Shiite belief, Principles of religion, Safavid period, period after the Islamic RevolutionAbstract
The Safavid and Islamic Republic periods represent two significant phases in the evolution of Islamic architecture in Iran, as the emphasis of the Islamic government on reflecting Shi‘a identity and the profound interconnection between politics, religion, and culture led mosques to serve not only as places of worship but also as spaces embodying Shi‘a religious concepts and doctrinal principles. The present study aims to examine and compare the influence of the principles of faith and the beliefs of the Shi‘a school on mosque architecture during the Safavid period and after the Islamic Revolution. In the first phase, through a qualitative, descriptive, and analytical research method using library and documentary sources, the Shi‘a intellectual system and worldview were identified, and the theoretical foundations affecting the formation of Shi‘a religious architecture were extracted and categorized. In the second phase, to empirically evaluate the theoretical findings, ten prominent Safavid mosques in Isfahan and ten significant mosques constructed after the Islamic Revolution in Tehran were purposefully selected with the consultation of experts in the field. These were comparatively analyzed through field observations, interviews, and photographic documentation. Analysis of the sample indicates that the architecture of mosques from both the Safavid and Islamic Republic periods reflects the fundamental beliefs and convictions of Shi‘ism. However, in the era of the Islamic Republic, the manifestation of the principles of faith—particularly the concepts of tawḥīd (divine unity), ma‘ād (resurrection), ‘adl (justice), and imāmah (leadership)—appears deeper and more pronounced, whereas during the Safavid period, the principle of nubuwwah (prophethood) was more prominently expressed. Regarding Shi‘a beliefs, faith in the ‘ālam al-mithāl (imaginal world) and the Ṭūbā tree is more vividly represented in the architecture of Safavid mosques compared to those built after the Revolution, while the belief in luminous creation (khalq nūrī) appears with nearly equal intensity in both periods. Ultimately, it can be concluded that Shi‘a mosque architecture during the Islamic Republic period is primarily shaped by an emphasis on the principles of faith, whereas in the Safavid period it was more deeply influenced by Shi‘a doctrinal beliefs.
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