Blue Mosque (Shrine of Ali)

UHHp2ZzbkRe8xahZ88VkBI3vO1arFBkzBRGdKDWl.jpeg
WUVO5mXMXBrbOP24V9Hxs2j2eLj52mkxgHUoDzP2.jpeg
oil0llntozkaU3IrOXjpsleV9ABWPTWAabuSo00X.jpeg
PmumD50Hbh43XMII1yjGeJdIEUIKakJV3m06Ubzp.jpeg

Name of Building

Blue Mosque (Shrine of Ali)

Town or City, Country where the building was originally established

Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan

Date the building was designed and/or first built

Begun: 15th century (Timurid period)
Major reconstruction: 20th centur

Name of Architect, Builder, or Primary Patron Responsible

Original patron: Timurid dynasty
Architect/Builder: Unknown

Culturally Specific Time Period

Timurid architecture (Central Asia)

Geo-Location

Latitude: 36.7067 N
Longitude: 67.1164 E

Materials

Glazed tilework,
Brick
Ceramic mosaic
Marble

Size and/or Scale of Building

Large mosque complex surrounding central courtyard (exact dimensions vary by source)

Architectural Type

Religious

Building Description

The Blue Mosque serves as Afghanistan's vital Islamic monument and stands as a prominent Timurid architectural feature throughout Central Asia. The mosque features thousands of blue tiles which create geometric and floral designs that represent Islamic artistic traditions of heaven and divine unity and paradise. The main courtyard of the mosque features pointed iwans and elevated arched entrances which display calligraphic writing and star-shaped tiles that repeat throughout the design. The geometric designs achieve harmony through their symmetrical arrangement and their repetitive patterns which follow mathematical rules. The building's lapis-blue glaze extends from local stone practices to establish its sacred position within Mazar-i-Sharif city. The site underwent multiple restoration phases to preserve its Timurid artistic heritage while maintaining its status as a sacred pilgrimage destination for Afghan people.

Names(s) and location(s) of the museum holding the object(s)

N/A

Image source

Image 1: https://mosqpedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/UHHp2ZzbkRe8xahZ88VkBI3vO1arFBkzBRGdKDWl.jpeg
Image 2: https://mosqpedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/WUVO5mXMXBrbOP24V9Hxs2j2eLj52mkxgHUoDzP2.jpeg
Image 3: https://mosqpedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/oil0llntozkaU3IrOXjpsleV9ABWPTWAabuSo00X.jpeg
Image 4: https://mosqpedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PmumD50Hbh43XMII1yjGeJdIEUIKakJV3m06Ubzp.jpeg

Creative Commons or other copyright information

Image 1: Creative Commons
Image 2: Creative Commons
Image 3: Creative Commons
Image 4: Creative Commons

Student First and Last Name

Mursal Abdullah

Bibliographic references for the item

Golombek, L. and Wilber, D. (1988) The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Canby, S. (n.d.) ‘Timurid Art’. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/timu/hd_timu.htm (Accessed: [December 1, 2025]).
Archnet (n.d.) Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif. Available at: https://archnet.org/ (Accessed: [December 1, 2025).

Citation

Original patron: Timurid dynasty and Architect/Builder: Unknown, “Blue Mosque (Shrine of Ali),” World Architecture, accessed June 28, 2026, https://worldarchitecture.artinterp2.org/items/show/180.

Embed

Copy the code below into your web page