Sarab Jame Mosque

The Sarab Jame Mosque (Grand Mosque) is one of the historical and religious monuments of the city of Sarab in East Azerbaijan Province, dating back to the 9th century AH (lunar Hijri). It stands in the old fabric of the city, in one of its central neighbourhoods, and still serves its religious function: the city's Friday prayers and some religious ceremonies are held here. The Sarab Jame Mosque was registered on Iran's National Heritage list on 1 Farvardin 1347 SH under number 797. During some excavations and restoration work on the building, evidence was also found of an older mosque beneath the present structure, which adds to the historical importance of the site. The mosque can be reached via Motahhari Street in Sarab, and its location within the urban area makes it easy to visit alongside the city's other historical attractions.

The most important feature of the Sarab Jame Mosque is its simple yet historic architecture. It was built without minarets and consists of a large prayer hall (shabestan), a small courtyard in the west, and two entrances, one on the east and one on the west. The prayer hall contains a series of round domes, most of which rest on pointed arches and columns; in total, about 60 columns can be seen in the hall. On the southern side of the mosque there are three mihrabs. Two have simple stucco decoration, while the third is adorned with glazed and lustre tiles, arabesque (eslimi) and floral (khatayi) motifs, and turquoise glaze. This mihrab, about 142 cm high and 152 cm wide, is considered one of the finest decorative elements of the building, and parts of its tiled inscription have survived. The mosque also has a wooden minbar with seven steps, about 3.6 m long and 2.1 m high; the name of its donor is carved in thuluth script on the eastern part of the minbar. Above the eastern entrance is a marble inscription in naskh script, which records the date 875 AH and the name of the mosque's founder, Haji Rafi' al-Din ibn al-Haji Moshir al-Din.

The Sarab Jame Mosque is on Motahhari Street. Because it lies within the urban area, you can reach its surroundings by car or public transport and then walk through the city to the entrance. The eastern entrance leads to the courtyard and prayer hall via 10 steps, while the western entrance leads to the small western courtyard via seven stone steps. For sightseeing, times outside prayer and religious ceremonies are more suitable, and when entering you should respect the sanctity of the place of worship and dress appropriately for a religious setting. Since the mosque lies in the historic fabric of the city, a visit can be combined with a stroll through the old part of Sarab. While there, it is best not to touch or get too close to the tilework, inscriptions and other historical elements, not to disturb worshippers, and not to take photographs in ways that disregard the rules of a religious space, so that the building is protected and its function can continue alongside tourist visits.