Juma Mosque (Friday Mosque of Herat) description and photo - Afghanistan: Herat (Topic)

Juma Mosque (Friday Mosque of Herat) description and photos - Afghanistan: Herat. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Friday Mosque of Herat.

Photo and description

The Juma Masjid Mosque is located in the city of Herat, in the province of the same name in northern Afghanistan. It was built during the time of the Ghurids, the famous sultan Hayas-ud-Din Gori laid the first stone in its foundation in 1200.

The first cathedral mosque of the city was erected on the site of two small temples of fire, which were destroyed by an earthquake and fire. After the death of Sultan Hayas, the construction of the temple was continued by his brother and successor, Muhammad of Ghor. This is confirmed by the inscription on the eastern portal, discovered in 1964 during the restoration, as well as the records of the Timurid historian of the sixteenth century.

After the capture of the province by the army of Genghis Khan, along with most of Herat, the small building was ruined. It was in this form until 1245, until, by decree of Shams ad-Din Kata, reconstruction works were started, and full-scale construction of the mosque began in 1306. The earthquake of 1364 again almost completely destroyed the building. Some time later, after attempts to restore the mosque, construction began on a new cathedral mosque with adjoining gardens. The decoration of the building was carried out for five years by craftsmen invited by the emir from all over the empire. Later, the mosque underwent another renovation when Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) fought for control of the region with the Uzbek tribes.

After the Anglo-Afghan war, most of the mosque was destroyed. The restoration program began in 1945, the walls and rooms were rebuilt, the northeastern part of the mosque was expanded from a length of about 101 meters to 121 meters, turrets were added and expensive materials from the times of the Timurids and Mughals were replaced with local cheap materials.

Overall, several of the mosque's renovations and rebuilding programs have left little of the original in the building's appearance, apart from the southern portal. Currently, the temple is in good condition, because despite the constant confrontation in the region, all the rulers kept the mosque in good condition.

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Topic: Juma Mosque (Friday Mosque of Herat) description and photo - Afghanistan: Herat.