A Study of the Historical Mosque of Savinas Village in Mahabad

KurdistanProvince is one of the regions in Iran which has remained almost unknown in terms of its architecture, particularly during the Islamic period. The study of the architecture of this province can provide a more profound understanding of Iranian architecture during this period. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce and explore the architectural features of the historical mosque of Savinas village, as a native-style mosque, in Mahabad and compare them with the features of similar examples of the Qajar period in Kurdish-residing regions. The photos taken by Ali Khan Vali, the ruler of Mokryan, which was a Muslim Kurdish emirate centered at Mahabad, from Savina s village during the reign of Qajar kings indicate that this mosque was constructed by Qadir Agha, the owner of the village, during the late Qajar period. Moreover, historical documents reveal that, because of the attention of local rulers, Savina s village turned into a greatly important place after the construction of the ruler’s mansion there, and the mosque was officially recognized as the religious and political center of Mokri Gavarak District in the Qajar period. The findings of this study, which was conducted following the library and field methods, demonstrate that the architectural style of Qajar mosques is of a local and native nature and is greatly different from the style of other Iranian mosques, particularly those in the central regions.