Juma Mosque in Herat
Juma Mosque or Grand Cathedral Mosque in Herat is a Friday mosque built in 1200, characterized by its grandiose size: 96X75 meters, which is larger than the size of Bibi-Khanim in Samarkand. It is one of the most majestic and beautiful mosques of the Middle East.
History
Until the 10th century, a Zoroastrian temple was located on this site. After the Arab conquest, the temple was destroyed and a wooden mosque was built instead. In the XI century it almost completely burned down. According to legend, the fire occurred because of a conflict between the caretaker of the mosque and a dervish who lived at the mosque. Allegedly, when the fire engulfed the entire building, the dervish a few dropped tears extinguished the fire.
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It was rebuilt in 1200 by order of Giyas al-Din ibn Sama, a ruler from the Gurid dynasty. Only a small portal with a relief Kufic inscription, where the name of the Sultan is mentioned, has survived from this building. Finally, the Masjid-i Jami acquired its present appearance in 1498, after a very significant reconstruction. Interestingly, the head of the reconstruction project was the famous poet and thinker Alisher Navoi (1441-1501).
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By the beginning of the XX century, the Great Cathedral Mosque of Herat was a remnant of bare walls and shapeless piles of stones – endless wars did not spare historical Afghanistan. But in the 60’s began a large-scale restoration with the participation of experts from around the world and in a few years were restored and the walls, and part of the interior decoration, and, most importantly, the unique facades with magnificent ceramic tiles of the Timurid era (tiles were created anew by the few surviving samples).
.Architecture
The large courtyard of the mosque is framed by four portals-aiwan, and four tall minarets covered with blue tiles stand at the corners of the complex. The size of the courtyard – almost 100 by 100 meters, simultaneously it can accommodate up to 5 thousand worshippers. In the courtyard of the mosque it is worth paying attention to a huge (one and a half meters high) bronze cauldron with decorative cast ornaments. It has been in Masjid-i-Jami since 1375 and has become one of the legends of the city. It was once filled with sherbet for worshippers on religious holidays.
.How to get there
By airplane
Herat International Airport receives flights from Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar (Afghanistan, Ariana, Kam Air) and Mashhad (Iran, Aseman Airlines).
.By car
The road to Kabul via Kandahar is paved but dangerous as it passes through an active war zone. The road to Mazar-e-Sharif via Meymene takes about two days and is not recommended for security reasons. The central route via Chagcharan and Bamiyan takes 3-6 days off-road, and the section near Chisht-e Sharif is not safe due to banditry. The roads from Herat to the Iranian and Turkmen borders are more or less safe. They are asphalted.
.By Bus
There is a shuttle bus from Mashhad in Iran, the bus should leave at 7am from the terminal, but departure times can vary so arrive early. Arrive at the border around noon, the bus arrives in Herat after 3pm. If you have a visa, crossing the border is easy.
.The bus also goes to Kabul via Kandahar, but this route is extremely dangerous for tourists and is not recommended.
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