A private mosque, a photo from Esfahan, East

Photographer's Note

I had intended today's photo as a workshop but decided to upgrade it. Not that it is particularly good, or even my best photo today, but it gives you a wider view of the 17th century Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque in Esfahan, of which I have earlier only posted photos of the entrance:

https://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Middle_East/Iran/East/Esfahan//photo913374.htm

https://www.trekearth.com/workshops/1600981/photo227039.htm

The WS shows the Imam Mosque, formerly Shah Mosque. You can see how different they look, especially the domes.

Do you notice a peculiar feature of the Lotfollah mosque? Yes, there are no minarets, which is very unusual, at least for major mosques in big cities. The reason is that this was the private mosque of the royal family and the court, so there was no need for prayer calls to ordinary citizens. The front gate, which is always open now, was always closed then. The royals are said to have entered the mosque through a tunnel from the palace area under the large square and straight into the mosque compound. That tunnel is no longer used, at least according to Wikipedia.

I liked this mosque better than the larger Imam (Shah) Mosque for its more intimate atmosphere.

This photo, and the WS, was taken from the Ali Qapu Palace, the entrance building to the palace area which I showed as a WS with my last post:

https://www.trekearth.com/workshops/1601066/photo227078.htm

Both photos from July 1970 were scanned from Agfacolor CT18 slides.

pajaran, ikeharel, Royaldevon, PaulVDV, jhm, pierrefonds, jean113, ktanska, Fis2, mcmtanyel, aliabazari, COSTANTINO, adramad, worldcitizen, ChrisJ ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (115989) 2022-01-18 0:34

Pozdrav.

Interesantan i lep pogled, dobar tekjst ...
Lepo drvece i arhitektura, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i perspktivom.
Dobar rad, lepa fotografija.
lepe siluete stubova deo grada.

Zelim vam lep i uspesan dan, sve najbolje.
Paja

ikeharel (113427) 2022-01-18 0:35

View from the palace terrace, out to the city skyline with the mosque dominating, Gert.
Must be a different sight now, but who would travel there...
As always, excellent scanned pictures.
Have a nice new day,
Ike

Royaldevon (85932) 2022-01-18 1:30

Hello Gert,

Two very interesting and well-scanned photographs.
I like the view from the main post, where we enjoy the cityscape from the shelter of the silhouetted palace. The water makes an unusual progress towards the private mosque. I had never really considered why it had no minarets but, for a private mosque, it makes complete sense.
Your w/s is equally interesting, showing the upper parts of the buildings, with a definite diagonal composition.

I love the decorations on the mosques.

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

Silvio1953 (221729) 2022-01-18 2:59

Ciao Gert, great view of fantastic mosque, lovely composition with beautiful natural frame, fine details, good sharpness, wonderful natural colors and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

PaulVDV (62978) 2022-01-18 5:43

Hello Gert,
A big surprise to me to see the large trees on the square. Also in your photo in the WS which I like very much.
On Malgo's pictures there are smaller trees.
I'm afraid I have been there in the least interesting time at all. I cannot remember there were any trees at all in 1996 and I'm sure there was certainly no water on the square. Just a huge stone cover with a lawn somewhere on which Iranians picnicked.
The square was very interesting during my visit because of all the buildings around, but not at all as a square itself.
I like the framing of your main photo.
Now I also see that only the dome of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque had a different colour of tiles. The rest has the blue tiles like most other mosques, which is of course also very beautiful. In my memory the entire exterior of the mosque was built in the colour of its dome. Memories fade greatly.
Best regards, Paul

jhm (211736) 2022-01-18 5:56

Hello Gert,

What I real find fine, the black frame in foreground.
Cares for a lovely look through and contrast.
Pleasant sharp and clear for a scanned slide.
Excellent of colours and presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

pierrefonds (114536) 2022-01-18 6:36

Hi Gert,

I like the way you frame the scene. The point of view is showing the details of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. The light is bringing out the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jean113 (27893) 2022-01-18 8:01

Hello Gert, I like this point of view looking through the silhouetted features of the building where you are standing.
Interesting note about the minarets.
The domed roof of the mosque stands clear of all the other rooftops; the decoration in sharp contrast with the plain colours of the surrounding buildings.
The water feature and fountain must be welcome in such a hot country.
Kind regards, Jean.

ktanska (44804) 2022-01-18 10:38

Hej Gert,
A private mosque is of course a rare thing. And you have to royal to have such an impressive one. I like framing with those columns. I guess a modern camera could cope the brightness, which was impossible those days. The fountain and water pool look very nice too.
Kari

jmdias (115252) 2022-01-18 11:25

gert[

I liked the role of the dark columns in FG acting as a frame to the marvelous dome. nice general view of the WS with the fabulous mosque in evidence.

take care

jorge

lousat (139332) 2022-01-18 11:46

Hi Gert,this time the quality of the two photos is really high, a great view in the WS and the top of perfection in the main one, the details are super and also the colors are very close to reality. Nice capture of this private mosque and for that without minarets, I got it thanks to your interesting notes as always. I'm sorry you didn't like my last photo, however negative criticisms are always welcome !! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

GyurMaster (24840) 2022-01-18 12:54

Dear Gert,

Now that you raised my attention, I see the difference. Otherwise I wouldn't have spotted it. I like the main photo really much and completed with Emka's recent post it is a really interesting piece of photography.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

Fis2 (170861) 2022-01-18 12:56

Witaj Gert!
A very nice photos, this building makes impression.
I like frames, composition and colors.
Wonderful dome, I love it.
TFS.
Well done.
Good evening.
Krzysztof

ifege (48159) 2022-01-18 16:49

Hi Gert
Interesting photos of very different mosques. The framing of the main one between those pillars is good.
cheers
Ian

mcmtanyel (68623) 2022-01-18 20:25

Hello Gert,
I like the way you framed Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. I like it better than the WS photo.
Regards,
MT
PS. Apparently there is not one, but there are two Sokollu Mehmet Pasha mosques in Istanbul. With the third mosque in Lüleburgaz, I guess the man must have thought he needed a lot of redeeming.

aliabazari (22281) 2022-01-18 21:42

Hello my friend Gert
Beautiful view of Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque. Good text. Well seen. Thanks for sharing

COSTANTINO (116580) 2022-01-18 22:24

Hello my dear Gert
have a pleasant new day
you wrote that this photo
is not particularly good or even the best...
No my personal opinion is that all your
photos are good taken perfectly
so many years ago when we didnt know
to use a simple machine to take photos
thanks for the explanation about
regards

Costantino

CMJC (5097) 2022-01-19 5:53 [Comment]

Show Comment

adramad (73006) 2022-01-21 10:03

Hi Gert.
A great view of the Isfahan square, with the magnificent Shah's mosque captured from the balcony of the old palace, a sensational view also in the WS, of the other huge mosque that we also find in the square.
Good perspective of the image, very pleasing to the eye.
Colour, sharpness and luminosity are effectively managed.
Very good composition, magnificent presentation.
Have a good weekend.
Warm greetings.
Luis.

BennyV (34748) 2022-01-22 3:58

Great oldie from way back. 1970...that's the split of the Beatles, the sad death of Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple "In Rock"...and I was a mere three year old toddler on holiday in a chalet at the Belgian seaside with my parents...for a whole week! Meanwhile you were in Iran, wow! That's a country we've heard lots of great things from and certainly one we'd love to visit in the hopefully not too distant future.

A great picture, classic composition, good scan quality.
Thanks for showing shots like this one here, Gert.

Cheers

Benny

worldcitizen (16104) 2022-01-23 13:26

Hello Gert,
I noticed right away that there were no minarets, and it did seem peculiar for a mosque. The royals certainly had a lot of space to worship in! I like how you framed the view.

ChrisJ (171884) 2022-01-26 7:54

Hej Gert

Missed this one. Good use of the silhouetted fg posts and trees to frame the bg mosque. Excellent sharpness and the fountain pool adds depth and layering. Tfs!

kasianowak (17676) 2022-02-08 5:23

Hi Gert
Great idea for a frame. Those intricate columns thrown into silhouettes add interest and a sense of mystery, as if we were looking outside, together with the photographer, from a dark interior of the palace.
I also liked this mosque, especially for it's golden dome (which was, unfortunately, half hidden by scaffolding during my visit).