Sometimes I sound like I got a beef with the Persian mosque.

Yes, I tend to frown on Iran tour itineraries with way too many visits to old buildings, the same way I complain aplenty about seeing too much of Baby Jesus and Hercules in Europe.

But there’s a lot of beauty and wonder to found in some of the great mosques of Iran.

And, like so many tourists, I always get caught up with capturing the grandeur of the mosque with my camera.

Below are the poetic and educational words of Jamshid Arjmand, Ph.D., taken from the article “An Image of Paradise”, published in the Shahrvand newspaper, Oct 12, 2006, Isfahan, Iran.

In his own words:

“The temple of the mind must exist in the sky, where one can spread wings and fly. Our mosques were created to serve as such a spiritual sanctuary.

The Pool in the Persian mosque

“The pool is the heart of the mosque. It’s where the sky and the earth meet. It’s really a bright mirror.

The Iwan of the Mosques in Iran

“The iwan is a sort of reflection of the purgatory, where it is neither in the mosque or outside the mosque; neither hell or heaven.

The Kashi (tiles) of the Persian Mosque

“The kashi of the mosque is like skin to the body and each one is a beautiful work of art.

The Shabestan of the Iran Mosque

“The 40 pillars of shabestan—this many pillars are not required to hold up the ceiling. They are there to represent the inescapable fact that we’re all adrift in this world, in search of answers.

Touring the Courtyard of Mosques in Iran

“The courtyards are so large to point to the immensity of the creation. Nothing in the mosque is without allusion to the creation and the things of irfan.

“In fact, nothing in the mosques of Isfahan is by accident. Isfahan is the reflection of all the elements of irfan.

“In fact, when you pass through Isfahan, you realize it is an image of paradise.”