Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, 17th-century mosque in Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran

Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque is a 17th-century prayer house on the eastern edge of Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, notable for its dome without minarets. The outer walls show tile patterns in cream and blue tones, while inside, geometric motifs and floral designs cover the entire dome and are highlighted by natural light from small windows.

Shah Abbas I began the mosque in 1011 AH (1602/1603 CE) and it was finished in 1028 AH (1618/1619 CE). The architect was Muhammad Reza, son of Husayn, an Isfahan builder whose name appears on an inscription around the mihrab; the shrine was named after Shaykh Lutfallah Maysi al-'Amili, who died in 1622 and was never involved in its construction. Built as a private royal court mosque, it lacked minarets, and a tunnel from the Ali Qapu Palace let the court reach it without crossing the square. Reza Shah Pahlavi had it restored in the 1920s on the advice of Arthur Upham Pope.

The mosque takes its name from Shaykh Lutfallah Maysi al-Amili, a Lebanese scholar invited to Isfahan by Shah Abbas and his father-in-law, who died in 1622 and is buried nearby; he led prayers here but had no part in building it. Earlier names included the domed mosque and the mosque of great purity and beauty. Quranic inscriptions by calligrapher Baqir Banna' inside the building also carry his name.

The entrance sits directly on the square and is reached by a short staircase leading into an angled corridor that shields the interior from outside noise. The best hours for visits are early morning, when sunlight passes through the dome windows and makes the tile colors glow.

The dome shows an unusual color shift throughout the day, changing from pale cream through pink to ochre, an effect created by the special arrangement of tiles and the angle of incoming light. At the center of the dome, a peacock pattern appears that only becomes visible when standing directly underneath and looking up.