The Decorations of the Entrance of Jorjir Mosque in Isfahan

The Buwayhid dynasty (Al-e Buye) was an Iranian Shiite dynasty which was considered to be the most powerful dynasty during the fourth and fifth centuries (A.H), before the rise of the Seljuks, regarding power and the extent of the realm of governance. The Buwayhid dynasty triggered many cultural and artistic changes in Iran, especially in Isfahan. One of the developmental activities in this period is the construction of Jorjir mosque (Jameh Saghir). Unfortunately, what has been left from the mosque today is the magnificent portal which is one of the four entrances of Hakim mosque (1067-1073 A.H). The decorative brickwork of this entrance with a large variety of geometric and herbal patterns is unique in its kind and it can be claimed that a similar building cannot be found elsewhere. The present project aims to introduce and explain the layout of the brickwork patterns of the entrance of Jorjir mosque through the historical-descriptive method based on the written sources and field observations of the writers in order to take a step in the identification, conservation and restoration of decorative arrays in Jorjir entrance as a unique sample of the buildings left from the Buwayhid period in Iran.