My 19 Day Iranian Azerbaijan circuit - From the Caspian rives to Tabriz and Takht-e Soleiman - Day 5 (morning) - Zanjân - The Masjed-e Jomeh Mosque - The 13th of May 2017

Bazaars  are always interesting places one can walk up and down, so as to get one particular country's overall atmosphere, but also get to know which goods are mostly common to the specific country one is visiting, not to mention the intricate architecture used in these covered up markets with numerous side alleys, one can easily get lost in.


Having had to cross the almost empty Zanjân bazaar on our way to the Seyyed Mosque gave us all a bitter feeling, once it lacked the day-to-day market-type of  "colourful" bustling.

 

 

That semi feeling of frustration was soon diminished as we walked into the open court of the  congregationaSeyyed Mosque, also known as Masjed-e Jomeh Mosque or Sultani Mosque, located in the old part of the city which irradiated a sort of calmness I had not felt for a while. A light breeze accompanied by a radiant light gave the diwans and the various court chambers, used as residential quarters for student,s a special touch of beauty, added to by the quiet waters of the central  court fountain.

 

 

I just sat beside it, vaguely listening to the conférencier and mostly breathing in the atmosphere in which religious characters moved back and forth like the flocks of birds that also sporadically and discreetly circled the court, prior to having strolled around the area to photograph the intricate tile covered vaults of some of this 1826 Qajar era constructed Iwans, with such a distinct "personality".



Throughout the visit an Imam had asked to speak to the conférencier, which ended up not happening, because of the rigidity of the conférencier's timetable, but as we were moving away a rather interesting religious character approached some of us and let himself be photographed, as if he were deliberately posing for future reference and what an "imposing" figure he was!... 

 

 

 

(To be continued)