Analysis of the Function of Sheikh Lotfollah Monument Over Time Based on Descriptive Historical Documents and Travelogues

Naghsh-e Jahan Square was built during the Safavid period as a prominent government architecture complex in Isfahan. Naghsh-e Jahan Square consists of four specific buildings, each of which has a separate function. The Sheikh Lotfollah building is the third monument built in chronological order. This monument is located on the east side of the square, opposite the Aali Qapo Palace. Transformation of the  this building's form and its adjacent buildings over time  makesit difficult to understand the original function of the building. In this paper, we analyze all the existing descriptive documents of the time of Sheikh Lotfollah's construction for the first time. These descriptive documents also include the manuscripts written by people studying or teaching at Sheikh Lotfollah. Based on the analysis of the documents and similar buildings built at that time, we explore the main function of this building over time. This study reveals that the primary function of the Sheikh Lotfollahat the time of construction was to serve as a school. Although the main function of the building was educational, the prayer hall was used for prayer complementary. The size of this monument is large, and accordingly, the prayer hall is large.  Due to the destruction of some parts of the building with the functionality of education and the similarity of the size and the form of the prayer hall to prayer hall in other mosques, Sheikh Lotfollah has named a mosque instead of a school.