Malleable Mosques

Volume 48, Issue 3 :: Photographs and Text by Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji

As a 24-year-old student of Physics I am fascinated with how the elements of the physical world can potentially enthrall us. As a photographer for the past five years, I am drawn to document the material places that capture culture in creative ways. In my native Iran, mosques are some of the best examples of this.

: The color-saturated interior of Nasir al-Mulk Mosque (known as the ‘Pink Mosque’) in Shiraz, Iran.

: Panorama of the interior of Shah (Emam) Mosque, also known as the ‘Royal Mosque,’ in Isfahan, Iran.

: A carpet repair workshop in Shiraz, Iran.

: Shahyad (Azadi) Mosque Tower in Tehran, Iran, designed by Hossien Amanat and completed in 1971.

: A ‘little planet’ view of the interior of Vakil Mosque in Shiraz, Iran.

: Dome of the Seyyed Mosque in Isfahan, Iran.

For me, symmetry, repetition, controlling the light, and tiling are the most important characteristic of mosque architecture. The interesting part is that almost all of the mosques that are intact are being used to this day. I always try to illustrate stunning features of buildings along with the detail in architectural photography through artistic viewpoints. I have tried to use artistic tools as much as possible to improve the aesthetic of my work. But to be created, this artwork requires a beautiful historical building. It’s not an easy process, and there have been times when even with a permit to take photos, I didn’t receive the appropriate reception from the people in charge, therefore, I left the location without taking any photographs. It has to feel right to me.

: Aliqapu Isfahan

: Aliqoliagha Bath

: Arg Of Karimkhani Shiraz

: Baghche Joogh Historical Palace Maku

: Borojerdiha Saghf

: Ceiling of Dolat Abad

: Ceiling of Jame Mosque Yazd

: Ceiling of Vakil Mosque

: Chehel Sotun Palace Isfahan

: Columns Carpets and Light Nasir Al Mulk Shiraz

: Columns Nasir Al Mulk Shiraz

: Dolat Abad Yazd

: Emamzadeh Hassan and The Milky Way

: Eram Garden

: Fin Garden Kashan

: Ghare Kelisa Jolfa

: Ghare Kelisa Urmia

: Golestan Palace Tehran Ceiling

Most of my pictures are accomplished with wide-angle and fish-eye lenses, showing the entire building in a single frame, and also have a highly dramatic range of color and texture. For me, light is a critical element in photography. In other photos, I join several images together to create a virtual reality for the architecture.

My favorite photo in my portfolio, “Historic Persian-Islamic Monuments and Temples,” is a landscape shot of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz, Iran (the image is at the top of page 18). Known informally as “the Pink Mosque,” and built around 1888, it’s a beautiful building. I hope that the photo illustrates the architects’ (Muhammad Hasan-e-Memar and Muhammad Reza Kashi Paz-e-Shiraz) choice of perfect symmetry, tiling, colors, unique lighting, different patterns, repetition, arches, and rosy stained glass.

I hope that my photography touches and inspires people to look at the world differently. I want to visit the world’s best architectural structures and, through my photography, present my own opinions and interpretations of them. Changing perspectives means everything to me.