Dr Ahad Nejadebrahimi, Mrs Hanieh Mohammadzadeh Jamlian, Dr Hosein Esmaeilisangari,
Volume 13, Issue 4 (1-2026)
The Jameh Kabir Mosque of Tabriz is one of Iran’s most significant architectural monuments and has long served as a major religious, political, and social center. Throughout the Ilkhanid, Jalayirid, Turkmen, Safavid, and Qajar periods, it functioned as the principal venue for public proclamations, political events, and religious decrees. Located within the historic citadel and adjacent to the bazaar, the mosque formed the spiritual and economic heart of the city. Historical sources consistently identify it as the Jameh Kabir, a title it retained despite the construction of other monumental mosques in Tabriz, reflecting its enduring historical and cultural importance. During the Safavid and Qajar periods, royal and municipal decrees were inscribed on stone tablets and displayed in the mosque, leaving valuable historical evidence.
Although the exact date of its construction is unknown, historical and architectural evidence suggests that the mosque dates back to the early Islamic centuries. Over time, it experienced repeated destruction, reconstruction, renovation, and expansion due to political changes, earthquakes, and successive building campaigns. These interventions gradually transformed its original structure while incorporating architectural characteristics of different historical periods. This study aims to examine and document the architectural and spatial evolution of the Jameh Kabir Mosque of Tabriz from its earliest formation to the Qajar period. The research is based on the assumption that, despite extensive alterations, significant structural and spatial elements from different periods remain identifiable. By comparing the mosque with contemporary Islamic mosques and architectural traditions, the study reconstructs its historical development. Given the limited scholarly attention to the mosque’s spatial and formal transformations, this research seeks to address an important gap in the literature.
The study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology based on historical document analysis, field surveys, and comparative studies of similar mosques with preserved structures or reliable historical documentation. This approach enables the reconstruction of the mosque’s architectural configuration across different periods. The findings reveal that the mosque’s present structure is founded on both early Islamic and later architectural phases. Major interventions include the construction of a stucco mihrab during the Ilkhanid period, the northern expansion under the Turkmens, and the replacement of the original dual-dome system with a vault-and-arch covering during the Qajar period. Additional mosques, madrasas, and libraries were gradually incorporated into the complex, transforming it into a larger religious and civic center. The study demonstrates the continuity and adaptability of the Jameh Kabir Mosque of Tabriz and contributes to a better understanding of the evolution of Islamic mosque architecture and architectural reconstruction.
