Jame Mosque of Sanandaj

The Jame Mosque of Sanandaj, also known as the Darolehsan Mosque, stands in Kurdistan Province in the centre of Sanandaj, on the northern side of Imam Khomeini Street, within the old fabric of the city. It is regarded as one of the most important Sunni religious buildings in Iran. It was built in the Qajar era, in 1227 AH (lunar Hijri), by order of Amanollah Khan Ardalan. Because the building sits on higher ground than its surroundings, its minarets and architecture can be seen from many parts of the city. Besides serving as a place of worship, the mosque was formerly known as a centre of learning (a dar al-elm) and played an important role in religious education in the region. The combination of mosque and school, together with its distinctive architecture, has made it one of the most notable historical monuments of western Iran.

Architecturally, the Jame Mosque of Sanandaj is an outstanding example of Persian-Islamic architecture of the Qajar period, in which tilework, brickwork, stone carving, stucco and geometric woodwork (gereh-chini) are used together in harmony. The building has two iwans, on the east and south, a central courtyard, a pillared prayer hall, 12 cells around the courtyard, and minarets above the eastern iwan. The prayer hall, with its 24 spiral stone columns, is one of its most distinctive features; each column is adorned with fine carving and with arabesque and Quranic decoration. Seven-colour tilework with floral motifs, Thuluth and Nastaliq calligraphy and Quranic verses makes up most of the building's ornamentation and displays a rare example of Qajar-era art. The stone pool in the central courtyard, combined with the iwans and cells, also creates a balanced and peaceful space for worship and study.

Getting to the Jame Mosque of Sanandaj is very easy; it can be reached via Imam Khomeini Street and the roads around the city's historic quarter. The mosque is still active and is used during prayer times, but it is open to the public for visits at other times. The best time to visit this historic building is spring and early autumn, when the weather in Sanandaj is milder and the visit is more pleasant. While at this religious site, visitors should observe the principles of responsible nature and cultural tourism and respect the mosque's devotional and cultural atmosphere.