Dr. Mozaffar Abbaszadeh, Dr. Somayyeh Ghadimzadeh, Mr. Hamid Behjat,
Volume 13, Issue 3 (10-2025)
Mosques, as the most significant buildings associated with Islam, hold a prominent position in Islamic cities and serve as manifestations of Muslims' beliefs, thoughts, and religious inclinations. In this context, West Azerbaijan Province, with its long-standing presence of both Shia and Sunni followers, stands out as a notable region for religious architectural studies. The main research question addresses the architectural characteristics of historical Shia and Sunni mosques in the province and how these denominations have influenced mosque architecture. The primary objective of this research is to identify and analyze the impact of religious denominations on the physical and spatial characteristics of historical mosques in the province, aiming to achieve a deeper understanding of the relationship between religious beliefs and their manifestation in mosque architecture. The research methodology is descriptive-analytical and comparative, based on typology, with data collected through library studies and field surveys. The study examined 29 historical mosques, comprising 20 Shia and 9 Sunni mosques as samples. Due to the limited number of Sunni mosques in the region, fewer samples were selected from this group. The samples were chosen based on their construction period and architectural style to enable precise comparison. Data analysis was conducted across three main aspects: entrance patterns and movement hierarchy, primary and secondary mosque components, and the content of decorative inscriptions. The research findings indicate that Shia and Sunni mosques do not exhibit fundamental differences in the design and patterns of main mosque spaces, as examples from both denominations are present in all three identified mosque types in the province. The observed differences are primarily associated with the design of ablution spaces, architectural details of mihrabs, access patterns, and the thematic content of inscriptions. Therefore, despite some differences, the architectural style and construction patterns of mosques from both denominations show considerable similarities, revealing not only religious commonality but also the role of cultural and indigenous concepts in mosque architecture.
