Study of Three Altar Stones of Atigh Jame’ Mosque in Shiraz

The altar stone is an important factor in the stone industry of the late 5th and 6th centuries. As the motifs and figures of great altars belonging to these periods are reflected in smaller and finer dimensions of altar stones, they are of great importance. During the Saljuq period, stones of the altars became so important that many of the artists who engraved tombstones in this period were attracted to the altar designs and created beautiful tombstones, some of which are now in museums. The altar stone of the Atigh Jame’ Mosque is different regarding its form, dimensions and decorations.  The altar stone of Khoday Khane is amongst the altar stones of the mosque in the late fifth and early sixth centuries, and the altar stone transferred to Vakil Mosque belongs to the sixth century in terms of the Kufic scripts and type of decoration. The decoration and scripts of the altar transferred to the Stone (Haft-Tanan) Museum assures it belonging to 8th century. There is no information about the location of this altar stone in the past, but with the modernization of the three altar mosques in southwest, southeast and northeast Shabestans in the last century, it is likely that these stones belong to three Shabestans.