| Tarikhaneh Mosque | |
| Native Name: | مسجد تاریخانه |
| Building Type: | Mosque |
| Architectural Style: | َEarly Islamic |
| Location: | Damghan, Semnan Province, Iran |
| Address: | Mutahari St., Damghan |
| Owner: | Government of Iran |
| Coordinates: | 36.1642°N 54.3542°W |
The Tarikhaneh Mosque (Persian: مسجد تاریخانه; also variously rendered as Tarikhana Mosque or Tarikh Khana Mosque), is a historic monument located on the southern limit of the present day city of Damghan, Iran.
"Tarikhaneh" is derived from tari ("god") and khaneh ("home"), thus meaning "god's home".[1]
The chronology of the building's construction is not well-documented.[2] Based on its very close similarities with earlier Sassanian architecture, it is likely from the first centuries of Islamic rule, possibly in the 8th century.[3] [4] [5] Some scholars have suggested that is overall form and style corresponds more to the 9th century.
The main plan consists of a square courtyard which is surrounded by arcades of barrel vaults supported by slightly pointed fired brick arches set on thick circular pillars, typical of Sassanid architecture.[6] The pillars are 3.5 meters tall and almost 2 meters in diameter.[7] The hypostyle prayer hall consists of several naves or aisles divided by arcades and covered by vaults, with the central nave being larger than the others.
Standing together at a distance from the mosque are the remains of a square column of uncertain date, possibly part of the original construction period and a cylindrical minaret. The latter was built sometime in the years 1026 to 1028.[8] It resembles the style of later Seljuk minarets.[9] The minaret is 4.2 meters in diameter; its top has fallen, but originally it must have measured more the 30 meters high, with a gallery supported on muqarnas corbels. The tower is strikingly divided into six zones of ornamentation, each rendered in brick with a different geometric pattern. An inscription at around mid-way up the tower records that its construction was commissioned by the local governor, Abu Harb Bakhtyar ibn Muhammad.[10]
