Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan
Name of Building
Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan
Town or City, Country where the building was originally established
Isfahan, Iran
Date the building was designed and/or first built
1603–1619 (Safavid period)
Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible
Architect: Mohammad Reza Isfahani
Patron: Shah Abbas
Patron: Shah Abbas
Culturally Specific Time Period
Safavid architecture (17th century)
Geo-Location
Latitude: 32.6576 N
Longitude: 51.6760 E
Longitude: 51.6760 E
Materials
Brick, ceramic mosaic, glazed tile, marble
Size and/or Scale of Building
Single dome mosque without minarets, entrance corridor, domed sanctuary
Architectural Type
Religious
Building Description
The Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque stands as a royal mosque which occupies a small space on Naqsh-e Jahan Square through its single cream-colored dome and its lack of minarets. The bent corridor leads visitors toward a domed sanctuary which receives its light through filtered daylight. The interior tilework features complex arabesque designs and calligraphic elements and the famous peacock design which becomes visible under the dome when sunlight hits the tiles at specific times. The mosque was constructed by Shah Abbas I for royal court activities instead of public worship purposes to showcase Safavid artistic values through its precise design and controlled illumination and ornate tilework.
Names(s) and location(s) of the museum holding the object(s)
N/A
Image source
Image 1: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Sheikh_Lotfallah_Esfahan.JPG
Image 2: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Lotfollah_mosque%2C_isfahan_%281%29.jpg
Image 3: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Lotfollah_mosque%2C_isfahan.jpg
Image 4: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Sheikh_Lotf_Allah_3D_aa.jpg
Image 5: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Iranian_Tiles_1.JPG
Image 6:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Sheikh_Lotf_Allah_mosque_entry_gateway.jpeg
Image 7:https://itto.org/iran/image-bin/sheikh-lotfollah-mosque.jpg?fillit=450x330
Image 8:https://www.iraniantours.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Lotf-03.jpg
Image 9:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Sheikh_Lotfollah_Mosque%2C_Isfahan%2CIran.jpg
Creative Commons or other copyright information
Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Image 5: Creative Commons
Image 6: Creative Commons
Image 7: Creative Commons
Image 8: Creative Commons
Image 9: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons
Image 5: Creative Commons
Image 6: Creative Commons
Image 7: Creative Commons
Image 8: Creative Commons
Image 9: Creative Commons
Student First and Last Name
Mursal Abdullah
Bibliographic references for the item
Blair, S. and Bloom, J. (1995) The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250–1800. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Canby, S. (2009) Shah ‘Abbas: The Remaking of Iran. London: British Museum Press.
Archnet (n.d.) Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan. Available at: https://archnet.org/ (Accessed: December 4, 2025).
Citation
Architect: Mohammad Reza Isfahani
Patron: Shah Abbas, “Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan,” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://www.worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/193.
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