Jameh Mosque of Semnan

The Jameh Mosque of Semnan is the historic congregational mosque of this city on the northern edge of the Iranian desert, with a minaret dating to the Seljuk period in the eleventh century. The tall cylindrical brick minaret, decorated with bands of ornamental brickwork and a Kufic inscription, is among the oldest surviving in the region. Later additions gave the mosque an iwan and prayer halls reflecting successive dynasties. Set within the old bazaar quarter, it records centuries of building in a single ensemble.