What sets the interior of the Lutfallah
Mosque apart from its Seljuk prototype –
and from all other interiors in Safavid architecture is the exquisite tile decoration. The
apex of the dome is filled with a giant sunburst from which descends tiers of ogival
medallions filled with floral motifs, which
swell in size with the curve of the dome.
Light streaming through the screened windows flickers across the glazed surfaces.
The dado and some of the upper wall
surfaces are revetted with tiles painted in
carpet patterns; their flat surfaces are distinguished from the tile mosaics, whose
uneven surface scatter light. The architecture and decoration are so fine that the
craftsmen are credited in the inscriptions.
The architect was Muhammad Riza, son
of the master Husain the builder from Isfahan; the inscriptions were designed by
the royal calligrapher Ali Riza-yiAbbasi.
The exact function of the building is rather
puzzling. In the foundation inscription over
the entrance portal, it is called a mosque
(Masjid), but the building lacks the standard accoutrements such as courtyard, side
galleries, iwans, or minarets. The plan fits
better within the long-established Iranian
tradition of large domed mausoleums,
but no one is known to have been buried
there. Some scholars have called it a royal
chapel but this type of building is unknown
in Iranian architecture and the mosque I
across the Maidan from the palaces of the
royal family.
The Ali Qapu Palace
The fourth building, set on the
west side of the Maidan, is the entrance
to the palace complex, the Ali Qapu (“Lofty
Gate” or “Sublime Portal”). It was begun
by Abbas as a modest atrium for the royal
gardens. Over the next 60 years; however,
it was repeatedly modified and extended
and the final building consists of a block
66 x 60 x 108 feet (20x20x33 meters)
preceded by an entrance complex, itself
surmounted by a columned veranda.
This veranda (Talar in Persian), is a tra-
ditional Persian form found already in the
Achaemenid audience hall, or Apadana, at
Persepolis. Extending the Ali Qapu in front
brought the building into alignment with
the arcades added around the Maidan by
1602; adding the porch provided an elevated viewing stand for royalty and guest. The
ingenuity and playfulness of Safavid court
architects can be seen in the way they
transformed the Talar from a ground-level veranda into one towering two stories
above the ground.
The complex and almost haphazard plan and elevation of the Ali Qapu
reveals the additive nature of the structure.
The main block is subdivided in to five main
stories and an intermediate one, all differ
markedly in plan. Many of the supporting
elements do not continue from floor to
floor. The main supports, which are massive on the lower floors, become lighter
and thinner at the top. From the third floor
they turn into hollow pilasters. On the fifth
floor they are a network of thin arches from
which a fantastic plaster shell suspended.
The shell is composed of Muqarnas Niches painted with geometric and arabesque
designs and pierced with the shapes of the
Chinese porcelain a Safavid lusterware
that the shahs collected. The shell played
an acoustic as well as a decorative role in
distributing sound, as the room was used
for evening entertainments and is now
called the “music room”.
The Ali Qapu served as a gateway to a 17-acre (7-hectare) park dotted
with small courtyards, walled gardens, and
pavilions. The area adjacent to the royal
Maidan housed the royal workshops, service quarters, administrative offices and
residential facilities for gatekeepers and
eunuchs. Behind it was a more private
area with several gardens and residences
for the shah and the members of the royal
family.
Hattstein, M. & Delius, P. (2004). Islam Art and
Architecture. Italy: KONEMANN
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