Identifying Rahim Khan Mosque-School Based on Descriptive and Pictorial Documents and Oral History

Mosque-school is one of the prominent multi-functional buildings in Iranian architecture. It integrates training use with praying function in a single building. These two utilizations were closely practiced and interacted from the advent of Islam, mostly in mosques. The construction of such a building reached its zenith at the Qajar period. The city of Isfahan has always been one of the leading centers of science and religion in the Islamic period of Iran. To that account, noticeable mosque-schools were erected over there. Rahim Khan mosque-school is considered as one of the developed examples of such a building in that city. To perform appropriate conservational and organizational measures in mosque-schools, one needs to know, as much as possible, the relationship between the two training use and praying function at once. Studying Rahim Khan mosque-school as one of the eminent mosque-schools of Isfahan can provide a better understanding of these buildings, especially the ones which were constructed at the Qajar period. This research employed descriptive and pictorial documents as well as oral history. At the first stage, to identify the date and process of construction, the contemporaneous resources were studied. Then, all inscription installed on the building were re-examined. The inscriptions were chronologically classified. In addition to the inscriptions, field studies and reviewing oral history helped effectively to understand how the building is constructed and its relevant changes. The present article aims to study the physical organs of the praying and training places of Rahim Khan mosque-school and to explain how these organs are interconnected. Besides for the first time, this investigation, based on the studies, intends to provide a clear view of its developmental process. The author succeeded to identify the date and process of its construction by re-deciphering the dates written on the said inscriptions while the field studies were of great help. Interviews with developers and living family and relatives of the founder of the building were also helpful in this regard. It was erected during the ending years of the Qajar dynasty by one of the famous clergymen of the then time in No neighborhood of Isfahan. When the founder died, the building left uncompleted; therefore, Rahim Khan Biglarbeigi and his brothers accomplished the project. Finally, it was entirely constructed during the early years of the 14th century of the Lunar calendar.