Tarikhaneh

---

title: "Tarikhaneh" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["8th-century-mosques", "abbasid-mosques", "buildings-and-structures-on-the-iran-national-heritage-list", "fire-temples-in-iran", "mosque-buildings-with-domes-in-iran", "mosque-buildings-with-minarets-in-iran", "mosques-in-semnan-province", "sasanian-architecture", "ziyarid-dynasty"] description: "Historical mosque in Damghan, Semnan, Iran" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarikhaneh" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Historical mosque in Damghan, Semnan, Iran ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox religious building"]

Field	Value
name	Tarikhaneh
(Tarikhaneh Mosque)
native_name	مسجد تاریخانه
native_name_lang	fa
image	Damghan7.jpg
image_upright	1.4
caption	The mosque minaret and iwan in 2008
religious_affiliation	Islam
festival
organisational_status	Mosque
functional_status	Active
location	Mutahari Street, Damghan, Semnan Province
country	Iran
map_type	Iran
map_size	250
map_relief	1
map_caption	Location of the mosque in Iran
mapframe	yes
coordinates
architecture_type	Mosque architecture
architecture_style
year_completed
date_demolished
dome_quantity	18 (maybe more)
minaret_quantity	One (damaged with age)
minaret_height	30 m (est.)
materials	Bricks; adobe; plaster; timber
elevation_m
website
module	{{Infobox historic site
embed	yes
designation1	INHL
designation1_offname	Tarikhaneh Mosque
designation1_type	Built
designation1_date	6 January 1932
designation1_number	80
designation1_free1name	Conservation organization
designation1_free1value	Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran
::

| name = Tarikhaneh (Tarikhaneh Mosque) | native_name = مسجد تاریخانه | native_name_lang = fa | image = Damghan7.jpg | image_upright = 1.4 | alt = | caption = The mosque minaret and iwan in 2008 | religious_affiliation = Islam | tradition = | sect = | rite = | festival = | organisational_status = Mosque | ownership = | governing_body = | leadership = | bhattaraka = | patron = | consecration_year = | functional_status = Active | religious_features_label = | religious_features = | location = Mutahari Street, Damghan, Semnan Province | country = Iran | map_type = Iran | map_size = 250 | map_alt = | map_relief = 1 | map_caption = Location of the mosque in Iran | mapframe = yes | grid_name = | grid_position = | administration = | coordinates = | coordinates_footnotes = | heritage_designation = | architect = | architecture_type = Mosque architecture | architecture_style = | founded_by = | creator = | funded_by = | general_contractor = | established = | groundbreaking = | year_completed = | construction_cost = | date_demolished = | facade_direction = | capacity = | length = | width = | width_nave = | interior_area = | height_max = | dome_quantity = 18 (maybe more) | dome_height_outer = | dome_height_inner = | dome_dia_outer = | dome_dia_inner = | minaret_quantity = One (damaged with age) | minaret_height = 30 m (est.) | spire_quantity = | spire_height = | site_area = | temple_quantity = | monument_quantity = | shrine_quantity = | inscriptions = | materials = Bricks; adobe; plaster; timber | elevation_m = | elevation_footnotes = | nrhp = | designated = | added = | refnum = | delisted1_date = | website = | module = {{Infobox historic site | embed = yes | designation1 = INHL | designation1_offname = Tarikhaneh Mosque | designation1_type = Built | designation1_date = 6 January 1932 | designation1_number = 80 | designation1_free1name = Conservation organization | designation1_free1value = Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran | footnotes = Tarikhaneh, or more correctly, the Tarikhaneh Mosque (), and also variously rendered as the Tarikhana Mosque and the Tarikh Khana Mosque, and also known as the Mosque of 100 Gates, is a mosque located in the historical city of Damghan, in the province of Semnan, Iran. The mosque is one of the oldest and most significant Islamic structures in Iran, estimated to date from the eighth century CE.

The mosque was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 6 January 1932, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran and was nominated for recognition by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Scholars debate its exact construction date, with some suggesting origins as early as the 8th century CE. Various restoration initiatives have been undertaken to maintain its structural integrity. Local authorities have advocated for increased recognition of the mosque in order to promote tourism and raise cultural awareness. , the mosque was in active use for worship.

Etymology

In Persian, Tārīk Khāneh is derived from tārī ("god") and khāneh ("home"), thus meaning "god's home".

History

Built on the site of a former Zoroastrian fire temple, the chronology of the mosque's construction is not well-documented. Scholarly discourse regarding the mosque's construction date has produced varied conclusions. Notably, historian Mohammad Karim Pirnia dates the original building's construction to based on architectural styles and historical context. Other sources suggest that while no definitive inscriptions exist to confirm its age, the mosque likely predates due to its stylistic features. Based on its very close similarities with earlier Sassanian architecture, it is likely from the first centuries of Islamic rule, possibly the 8th century CE. Some scholars have suggested that its overall form and style corresponds more to the 9th century CE. The mosque exemplifies the architectural transition during the Islamic period, influenced by the significant cultural and religious shifts that occurred following the advent of Islam in the Iranian plateau. The introduction of Islam initiated profound changes in the region's religious, cultural, and social life, transforming pre-Islamic practices that had been dominated by Zoroastrianism and other faiths.

Architecture

The courtyard plan, essentially Arabian, consists of a square courtyard which is surrounded by arcades of barrel vaults supported by slightly pointed fired brick arches set on thick circular pillars, typical of Sassanid architecture. The massive circular pillars of radial brickwork repeating the building technique used in Sassanian palaces, are 3.5 m tall and almost 2 m in diameter. They are an almost unique survival of a structural form deriving from the same source as the vast arch of Ctesiphon. The hypostyle prayer hall consists of several naves or aisles divided by arcades and covered by vaults, with the central nave being larger than the others. The building is essentially Sassanian in style, material, and building technique with the only innovation being the slightly pointed arches. According to Arthur Pope, "It expresses dignity and confidence, but also humility."

While the Tarikhaneh Mosque exhibits strong Sassanian architectural influences in its form and materials, its Islamic function fundamentally alters its character. The mosque's design features a simple, uncluttered space oriented towards the qibla, marked by the mihrab. This emphasis on horizontal expanse accommodates large congregations. In essence, the Tarikhaneh Mosque demonstrates how Sassanian architectural forms were adapted and reinterpreted to serve the unique spiritual and communal needs of Islamic worship, resulting in a new and distinct architectural expression. An aerial image of the mosque, published in 2023, revealed that there were 18 small domes above the prayer hall.

Standing together at a distance from the mosque are the remains of a square column of uncertain date, possibly part of the original construction period and a cylindrical minaret. The latter was built sometime in the years 1026 to 1028 CE. It resembles the style of later Seljuk minarets. The minaret is 4.2 m in diameter; its top has fallen, but originally must have measured more than 30 m high, with a gallery supported on muqarnas corbels. The tower is strikingly divided into six zones of ornamentation, each rendered in brick with a different geometric pattern. An inscription at around mid-way up the tower records that its construction was commissioned by the local governor, Abu Harb Bakhtyar ibn Muhammad.

Gallery

Tarikhaneh Mosque Plan.jpg|Floor plan by André Godard Tarikhane mosque Damghan- 2.jpg|View from the courtyard to the prayer hall 20170223 113755 HDR.jpg|Columns and arches of the prayer hall Tarikhaneh 2019-04-04 10.jpg|Vault over the central nave of the prayer hall Damghan1.jpg|The minaret, Ziyarid dynasty, 1026‒1032.

Notes

References

References

1. Pope, Arthur Upham. (1965). "Persian Architecture". Thames and Hudson.
2. (2010-03-20). "Iranian Architecture: History & Types". Destination Iran.
3. (2024-08-16). "Tarikhaneh Mosque: A Masterpiece of Iranian Ancient Architecture".
4. Montashery, Mehran. (2019-01-01). "The Development of Bricks Ornamentation from the early Islamic Centuries to the End of Kharazmshahian Period in the Architecture of Mosques in Iran". International Journal of Architecture and Urban Development.
5. Hillenbrand, Robert. (1994). "Islamic Architecture: Form, Function and Meaning". Columbia University Press.
6. Azad, Mitra. (2013-10-23). "Continuation of Sassanid Religious Architecture in Trikhaneh Mosque, Damghan". Soffeh.
7. (4 January 2023). "Visit Tarikhaneh, one of Iran's oldest mosques". [[Tehran Times]].
8. "Damghan Tarikhane Mosque". Miras Semnan.
9. (2011). "Islam: Art and Architecture". H.F. Ullmann.
10. (2009). "The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture". Oxford University Press.
11. Kuban, Doğan. (1974). "The Mosque and Its Early Development". Brill.
12. Adle, Chahryar. (2011). "DĀMḠĀN".
13. (2022-01-01). "Orientation Towards Qibla in Iranian Mosques: The Confrontation of Elements". Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies.
14. Emami, Farshid. (2021-01-01). "Religious Architecture of Safavid Iran". The Religious Architecture of Islam.
15. Goode, Patrick. (2009). "The Oxford Companion to Architecture". Oxford University Press.
16. Fletcher, Banister. (1987). "Sir Banister Fletcher's A history of architecture". Butterworth.
17. (9 January 2023). "Tarikhaneh marks 100 years on national heritage list". [[Tehran Times]].
18. (2011). "Islam: Art and Architecture". H.F. Ullmann.
19. O'Kane, Bernard. (1995). "Studies in Persian Art and Architecture". The American University in Cairo Press.
20. Blair, Sheila. (1991). "The monumental inscriptions from early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana". Brill Academic Publishers.
21. Herzig, Edmund. (2012). "Early Islamic Iran". I.B. Tauris.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::