I went to see the madrasa at Zuzan on the recommendation of one of the builders at Khargird – I always ask any builders I meet where the good local buildings are, and this method sometimes comes up trumps.
Now, I know that the building is dated at June 1218, and is one of only three pre-Mongol madrasas that remain in Greater Iran. But when I visited I knew nothing, only that whatever it was I could see looked very splendid. Initially, I even thought the two bits of building I could see were from two separate constructions – in fact they are two ends of the same very big building.
The whole site was locked up behind a fence so, of course, I climbed over for a closer look. After a few moments, several men started running towards me . . and I started taking lots of quick photos, as I assumed they were going to throw me out.
Not at all! On the contrary, they wanted to show off their most recent discovery, which even my nosiness wouldn’t have allowed me to see if they hadn’t helped. First they showed me round the main building, and helped me high up onto the scaffolding (more on what I saw up there another week).
After that, they unlocked a sunken door in a newly erected steel hut, to reveal a dark pit. The photo here is struggling with the bright light outside and the complete darkness inside.
In the pit, I could see most of a very wonderful, and painted, stucco mihrab. Many of you will be familiar with Oljeitu’s famous stucco mihrab in Isfahan. There are lots of others, for example the one in the Kuche e Mir mosque at Natanz, up the road from the more famous Abd al Samad monument.
But look how this one has such bright yellows and blues on it!
It was more than a little difficult to photograph, as it was in a pit that was just under two metres deep, and maybe 50cm wide. I had to slide carefully into the pit and then squash myself up to take any photos (recognising that I wasn’t going to be able to include everything I could see in any one photo).
After that I had to be dragged out with one man hauling on each of my arms!
This important madrasa was published many years ago by my colleague Sheila Blair. The amazing mihrab you show was not known then. I guess, given its location, one would have to assume that it predates 1218, which also seems likely on stylistic bases. Stucco work with color from this period is quite rare too.
Blair, Sheila S. 1985. The Madrasa at Zuzan: Islamic Architecture in Eastern Iran on the Eve of the Mongol Invasions. In Muqarnas III
Y wrote to me:
I’m sure you know that Chahryar ADLE has been working on ZoZan. But I have not searched for his work on it. I did give him some Black and White negs of the arch….Best,
Y
And I respond:
Thanks!
I did know that Adle was the lead of the work at Zuzan – but I looked in the wrong place for it. Now you’ve prompted me, I’ve found it at: http://www.maxvanberchem.org/en/scientific-activities/projets/?a=26
Professor Tabbaa has kindly reminded me to specifically cite Sheila Blair’s excellent work on Zuzan.
This is the basic paper, which I originally learnt from, and which Chahryar Adle has updated, as in my earlier comment back to Yolande Crowe.
Blair’s paper is freely available for anyone to access via Archnet:
http://archnet.org/library/documents/one-document.jsp?document_id=3644
I can see that I’m definitely going to have to do another posting on this wonderful monument!
Thanks, Professor Tabbaa!
Greetings, I just returned from Iran and must say that I missed almost whole Khorasan “thanx” to a new policy of visa extension, in Mashhad they will send you to another city with no discussion.
On the photo Zuzan madrasa seems to be quite well preserved, unlike that in Qom which save for its portal is completely gone.
the best
Peter