The Imam Mosque
Isafahan, Iran
Islamic
Isafahan, Iran
Islamic
The Imam mosque, also called the Masjid-e Shah (Royal Mosque) or Shahi Mosque, is a magnificent piece of architecture that demonstrates both artistic values and values treasured by chemists. It is the culmination of a thousand years of mosque building. Chemists also build on the work of those before them and should recognize the importance of past findings. The front arch of the mosque is 27 m tall and has a 42 m tall minaret on each side of it from which calls to prayer ring out at specific times of day as dictated by the Muslim religion. One factor that greatly contributes to the splendor of the mosque is its seven-color mosaic tiles which cover the surface of every wall, ceiling, arch, and muqarna. It took great effort and precision to create each tile so perfectly for the space it went into. Although precision isn’t always required of chemists, on a great many occasions it is. At those times chemists should aspire for the delicate precision and accuracy that the architects of of the Imam Mosque achieved. Chemists must also solve problems like the creators of the tiles did. A problem with painting mosaic tiles multiple colors was that the colors would run into each other a little. The tile creators overcame this problem by placing magnesium chord between the colors before firing and achieved the crisp lines that can be seen in the tilework of the Imam Mosque. The splendid patterns that ornament the tiles are all of a floral nature. The islamic artists that designed the mosque had a love of nature and borrowed many shapes and patterns from it. Chemists can do nothing that isn’t borrowing from the natural way of the world. Everything always comes back to the elements and their fundamental properties. Chemists use a great deal of math and physics when deciding how different compounds and elements will react. The design of the mosque incorporates many pointed arches which take a knowledge of both math and the laws of physics to create. Science would be nowhere near where it is today without the Islamic people.