Iranian Mosque, Bur Dubai, Shia mosque in Bur Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Iranian Mosque is a place of worship in the Bur Dubai district of Dubai, built in the Persian architectural style, with a tiled facade, an onion-shaped dome, and a minaret. Inside, the building also has a library with books in several languages.
The mosque was built in 1979 with support from the Iranian Red Crescent, at a time when a large Iranian community was settling in Bur Dubai. It is among the oldest surviving examples of Persian-style religious buildings in the city.
The tilework covering the walls and dome was made by Iranian craftsmen, using patterns rooted in Persian decorative arts from cities like Tehran and Isfahan. Walking around the building, visitors can notice how these details set it apart from the other mosques in the area.
The mosque sits in Bur Dubai near the Textile Souk, within easy walking distance of the waterfront area. Non-Muslim visitors can enter through guided tours organised by the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, and modest dress is expected.
Although the mosque clearly shows Persian features, it stands in a neighbourhood that was historically shaped by trade between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, making Persian influences in local buildings once quite common. Today this building is one of the few remaining traces of that heritage still visible in old Dubai.
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