Khanaqah-i Abu Mas'ud

Constructed to house the tomb of the Sufi Shaykh Abu Mas'ud Razi, the Khanaqah-i Abu Mas'ud (also known as Mas'udiyya Raziyya) is an important example of Timurid architecture in Isfahan. The khanaqah is located west of the old city walls in an area known as Darb-i Shaykh. Not all of the original structure exists. What remains today include a monumental arched entry (pishtaq) that opens onto an elaborately domed vestibule, which in turn gives onto a domed hall to the east. It is thought that the original complex included additional rooms, but its plan has not been determined.When the building was surveyed in the twentieth century, much decoration had disappeared. Paintings that were found were recent, but original tile mosaic faience in dark blue, light blue and white was preserved on the walls of the pishtaq. This tile mosaic included inscriptions, geometric panels and depictions of vases with flowering vines emerging from them. The date of the construction of the khanaqah (895 A.H.) is given in the inscriptions on the pishtaq.Sources:Golombek, Lisa and Donald Wilber. The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988. Cat. No. 172 (p. 388-9).