Menareh Mosque, Qajar mosque in Urmia, Iran.
Menareh Mosque is a Qajar-period house of worship in Urmia featuring a tall minaret that rises 22.5 meters (74 feet) into the air as the primary vertical element. The main structure extends 15 meters (49 feet) in length and 14 meters (46 feet) in width, built from stone, brick, and wood.
The building was completed in 1910 during the closing decades of the Qajar dynasty, a time when such religious structures were still being built across Iran. This period represented the final era of this architectural tradition before new styles began to transform the country's construction methods.
The building shows how people in Urmia constructed important spaces using local stone, brick, and wood materials that worked well in the region. These choices reveal practical knowledge about what held up best in the local climate and what communities valued in their religious spaces.
The mosque is located on Imam Street near the Sardar Mosque and welcomes visitors during daylight hours when prayers are being observed. Visiting in the morning provides better light to see the minaret clearly and generally means fewer people are present at that time.
The minaret was positioned with uncommon precision for the time of its completion, following astronomical guidelines that were considered during the building's orientation. This detail shows how much technical knowledge craftspeople possessed, even when it is not immediately obvious to visitors.
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