During a recent trip to Iran, RocketNews24 correspondent Photographer Koach visited the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque in Shiraz and was absolutely blown away by its extensive colored stained glass facade.

Following his report on why Iranians are the kindest people in the world, here are his thoughts on the beautiful piece of architecture and the morning sunlight that shines through it.

I have been to many countries all over the world, and whenever I travel to a country, I always make sure to visit that country’s religious institutions.  Like shrines and temples in Japan, religious facilities are places where history and culture come together, a starting point for getting to know that country.

As I traveled through Islamic countries, I visited many mosques and found them to be more and more enchanting with each visit.  There is a beauty in the masonry of the mosques not found in Japanese culture.  I feel the geometric patterns decorating the walls and the floors of  mosques have a deep significance that can’t be put into words.  Above all, I found the light from the stained glass of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque to be so beautiful that it took my breath away.

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque is in Shiraz, an hour and a half flight from Tehran, the Capital.  Shiraz is a city with a population of one million 200 thousand people and is said to have over 200 historical sites. This mosque is one of those historical places.

You can only see the light through the stained glass in the early morning.  It was built to catch the morning sun, so that if you visit at noon it will be too late to catch the light. The sight of the morning sunlight shining through the colorful stained glass, then falling over the tightly woven Persion carpet, is so bewitching that it seems to be from another world.

Even if you are the world’s least religious person, you might feel your hands coming together in prayer naturally when you see the brilliance of this light.  Perhaps the builders of this mosque wanted to show their “faith” through the morning light shining through this stained glass.

▼ The mosque from the outside

[ Read in Japanese ]