A Study of Plant and Geometric Designs in the Stucco Mihrab of Neyriz Great Mosque

Great Mosque of Neyriz is considered as one of the most historic and the oldest mosques in Iran. It is located in Neyriz County, east of Fars Province, around 220 km to Shiraz. In different historical periods, some extensions have been added to the mosque so that now it includes a rectangular courtyard, two north and south porch and some porticoes and seraglios around the courtyard. One of the most significant parts of the mosque is its plaster-worked altar located at the end of the south porch. This altar is characterized by some historic inscriptions dated 400 to 1000 AH. In addition, the unique and beautiful forms of plant and geometric motifs of this altar, that have been developed and completed through different techniques in different historical periods, have created a unique set of plaster designs. Studying these motifs can reveal the innovative visual effects of the existing designs and compositions. The necessary information is collected through library searching based on a field research and descriptivehistorical method. The results of the research show that, in addition to the inscriptions that covered most part of the altar (the exterior and interior parts), the curved arabesque designs along with angelica ones play an important role in decorating the columns, capitals and especially the interior part of arches with a grand central arabesque vault that is built by porous plaster molding.