Isfahan, Iran
Coordinates: 32.655256, 51.677954
It is located on the south side of Naghsh-e Jahan Square. It was built during the Safavid dynasty under the order of Shah Abbas I of Persia.
It is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture in the Islamic era.
The Royal Mosque is registered, along with the Naghsh-e Jahan Square, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was constructed in the 16th century with vision of grandeur for public use having the largest dome in the city. In 1598, when Shah Abbas decided to move the capital of his Persian empire from the northwestern city of Qazvin to the central city of Isfahan, he initiated what would become one of the greatest programmes in Persian history; the complete remaking of this ancient city.
The Masjed-e Shah was a huge structure, said to contain 18 million bricks and 475,000 tiles, having cost the Shah 60,000 tomans to build.
This is the most important historical mosque in Isfahan, one of the important buildings of Islamic architecture in Iran.
Shah Mosque or as it is now called ‘Imam Mosque’ is one of the most artistic historical heritages of Iran. There’s a spot that if you stand there your voice will be echoed and heard al around the area.
The mosque is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 20,000 rials banknote.
