The Friday Mosque, Esfahan

The Friday Mosque, the pinnacle of Persian Seljukian architecture, blends ornamental elements from several styles with incredibly intricate ornamentation with geometric or floral designs. Isfahan, Iran's Friday Mosque is a revered congregational mosque. From from 771 until the end of the 20th century, the mosque was continuously built, rebuilt, added to, and renovated on the site. Towards the mosque's southwest wing is where you'll find the Grand Bazaar of Isfahan. Since 2012, it has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of Iran's biggest and most significant examples of Islamic architecture.

Consider the vastness of the Persian cultural and geographical legacy, which spanned Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the expansion to the edges of the Indian subcontinent, to better understand the significance of the Persian heritage. In architecture, styles that were dominated by the skillful use of a variety of building materials and highly developed construction processes swiftly merged with forms that were established in other regions of the Muslim world. The result was an early creation of a subtle Iranian sense in a very Arab manner.

The adoption of Persian as a literary language was one way that local dynasties emphasized their local identity by the eleventh century, when they had gained control of the region. As a result, several outstanding works of literature, art, and architecture were created, including the magnificent Shahnamah by Firdawsi at the start of the 11th century. The introduction of the cylindrical minaret shape, the four-iwan pattern, and, according to some accounts, the madrasa building designs are only a few of Iran's significant contributions to Muslim architecture.

Location: Malé, Kaafu Atoll, Maldives