Nain - More than Carpets
The small town of Nain is located on the edge of the desert at the
junction between Isfahan, Kashan and Yazd. It is famous for its wool and
silk carpets with fine blue tendril motifs on a beige background, as
well as for its warm camel hair capes, which are called Abas.
In
former times Nain was a fortified city. Remainings of the old city wall
as well as the former mud brick fortress Narin Qaleh are still
preserved.
The Friday mosque is for sure the highlight of the town
and definitely well worth seeing. Not far away from the mosque you can
also visit the Pirnia mansion, a lovingly renovated traditional house
dating from the Safavid period (approx. 1560). The house also includes
an ethnological museum.
Minaret and entrance of the mosque
Masjed-e Jomeh Nain
The Friday mosque is definitely worth seeing. It was built around 960
AD, making it one of the oldest sacred buildings in the country. The
symbol of the mosque is the octagonal, conical minaret made of simple
adobe bricks with a balcony running all around. It dates from the 11th
century.The rectangular inner courtyard is surrounded by arcades made of
adobe bricks. The glazed tiles had not yet been invented. Nevertheless,
rich stucco relief decorations can be found on the arcades, which are
said to have been colored in the origin. The mihrab, which is decorated
over and over with carved plant reliefs, is particularly beautiful.
The large underground winter mosque gets light from the alabaster paving stones embedded in the ceiling.
Narrow streets in Nain