Muslim Travel Guide Iran Tehran: Vali-e-Asr Mosque, Hidden Modern Mosque Architecture and City Visit
Reposted from the web
Summary: This Iran Muslim travel guide follows a visit to Tehran's Vali-e-Asr Mosque, a modern mosque first noticed through an architecture article, with its hidden entrance, quiet indoor spaces, curved walls, simple prayer area, and a design that feels very different from classic mosque architecture.
Years ago, I read an article on the WeChat account Youth Architecture titled Can Religious Architecture Break Through Traditional Forms? | Modern Mosque Architecture (the article can still be searched online). It mentioned several mosques that were different from traditional buildings.
There were some in Singapore, some in Iran, and one in China. I went to Singapore a while ago, but did not have enough time to visit the mosque mentioned in that article. After landing in Iran, I remembered the article and searched for it, finding that the modern mosque in Iran was in the capital, Tehran.
I was in Tehran at the time. So, I found some time and specifically took a taxi there.
This mosque is next to the Tehran City Theater. It was not open when I first arrived, as Iranian mosques only open during prayer times (except for mausoleums).
I used this time to go to a cafe in the basement of the Tehran City Theater, where I ordered a coffee and a pastry. It cost me several 10 million rial notes, which I roughly estimated to be about 40 to 50 yuan.
When I finally entered this modern-looking mosque, I found it was truly worth the trip. This building is different from any mosque I have visited before. It does not seek symmetry in its layout, the ceiling is not rectangular, and you can even see light inlets that look like shark gills.
I looked around. It was mostly the same as the pictures in that article, but there were some extra decorations inside. The floor is now covered with carpets, and decorative calligraphy verses hang on the walls. A curtain in the middle separates the men's and women's prayer areas.
After finishing namaz, a man wearing glasses started handing out copies of the Qur'an, and he gave me one too. Then a man began to recite, and an older gentleman next to me pointed out exactly which chapter and verse he was reading. After the recitation, they served black tea. It was not bitter, and you could add sugar cubes to it.
I was about to leave after finishing my tea when a friendly mosque attendant stopped me to chat. He asked where I was from and if I was in Iran for work or something else. One man even called his friend to say that a Chinese person had come to the mosque. It felt like he had just met a celebrity.
A guy asked if I was Shia. When I said no, he tried to act calm, but I could tell he was a little disappointed. A young man joined our conversation. His English was good, and he said he used to go to school in the United States.
He asked where I was going next and offered to show me the way or help out. I am a bit shy and do not like to bother others, so I politely declined.
After heading out, I planned to go to the Freedom Tower and waited for a taxi by the side of the road, but I ran into a traffic jam again.
I also saw a car parked nearby with four Chinese characters, "Jing Hua Shui Yue" (flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water), and a sticker that said JDM, which originally meant Japanese Domestic Market cars but now refers to Japanese car modification culture. With the owner's permission, I took a photo of his beloved car.
Summary: This Iran Muslim travel guide follows a visit to Tehran's Vali-e-Asr Mosque, a modern mosque first noticed through an architecture article, with its hidden entrance, quiet indoor spaces, curved walls, simple prayer area, and a design that feels very different from classic mosque architecture.
Years ago, I read an article on the WeChat account Youth Architecture titled Can Religious Architecture Break Through Traditional Forms? | Modern Mosque Architecture (the article can still be searched online). It mentioned several mosques that were different from traditional buildings.
There were some in Singapore, some in Iran, and one in China. I went to Singapore a while ago, but did not have enough time to visit the mosque mentioned in that article. After landing in Iran, I remembered the article and searched for it, finding that the modern mosque in Iran was in the capital, Tehran.
I was in Tehran at the time. So, I found some time and specifically took a taxi there.
This mosque is next to the Tehran City Theater. It was not open when I first arrived, as Iranian mosques only open during prayer times (except for mausoleums).
I used this time to go to a cafe in the basement of the Tehran City Theater, where I ordered a coffee and a pastry. It cost me several 10 million rial notes, which I roughly estimated to be about 40 to 50 yuan.
When I finally entered this modern-looking mosque, I found it was truly worth the trip. This building is different from any mosque I have visited before. It does not seek symmetry in its layout, the ceiling is not rectangular, and you can even see light inlets that look like shark gills.
I looked around. It was mostly the same as the pictures in that article, but there were some extra decorations inside. The floor is now covered with carpets, and decorative calligraphy verses hang on the walls. A curtain in the middle separates the men's and women's prayer areas.
After finishing namaz, a man wearing glasses started handing out copies of the Qur'an, and he gave me one too. Then a man began to recite, and an older gentleman next to me pointed out exactly which chapter and verse he was reading. After the recitation, they served black tea. It was not bitter, and you could add sugar cubes to it.
I was about to leave after finishing my tea when a friendly mosque attendant stopped me to chat. He asked where I was from and if I was in Iran for work or something else. One man even called his friend to say that a Chinese person had come to the mosque. It felt like he had just met a celebrity.
A guy asked if I was Shia. When I said no, he tried to act calm, but I could tell he was a little disappointed. A young man joined our conversation. His English was good, and he said he used to go to school in the United States.
He asked where I was going next and offered to show me the way or help out. I am a bit shy and do not like to bother others, so I politely declined.
After heading out, I planned to go to the Freedom Tower and waited for a taxi by the side of the road, but I ran into a traffic jam again.
I also saw a car parked nearby with four Chinese characters, "Jing Hua Shui Yue" (flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water), and a sticker that said JDM, which originally meant Japanese Domestic Market cars but now refers to Japanese car modification culture. With the owner's permission, I took a photo of his beloved car.
