Getting to know beautiful Iran: Part 5: Amir Chakhmaq Square, Yazd
Amir Chakhmaq Square, one of the beauties of Yazd
Amirchakhmaq Square of Yazd is one of the sightseeing places of Yazd, which has many fans among the people of Yazd as a historical and tourist complex. This square, which is also known as Mirchakhmaq or Mirchmaq among the people of Yazd, consists of different parts such as the market, Takiye, mosque, two reservoirs and a mausoleum, among which a large pond with its attractive sculptures stands out.
Shaaban Caravanserai is located on the north side of Hammam Square and Bafti Caravanserai is located on the west side of Amirchakhmaq Square. Amirchakhmaq square complex is registered as a valuable historical work in the list of national works of Iran.
The history of Amir Chakhmaq square
If I want to talk about the place of support in Amirchakhmaq Square, I must say that this building is the entrance to the Haj Qanbar market and is located right next to the Jame Mosque. In addition, one of the pavilions has access to the reservoir of the complex.
3- Amirchakhmaq Mosque
Amir Chakhmaq Mosque, which is also known as Jame New Mosque or Dohok Mosque, is one of the oldest buildings in the Amir Chakhmaq Square complex of Yazd, which was built on the southern side of the square by the order of Amir Chakhmaq and his wife Fatemeh Khatun in 841 AH. At the time of its construction, this mosque was built in a place called Dohok, which was outside the city of Yazd, but with the expansion of the city, it entered the urban fabric.
Amirchakhmaq Mosque was included in the list of national monuments of Iran in 1341. In terms of size, prestige and beauty, this mosque is considered the second most important mosque in Yazd after Jame Mosque in Yazd, and its impressive architecture is among the most famous mosques in the world. The beautiful green dome of the mosque, surrounded by an inscription written in Kufic language, attracts the attention of every tourist from afar.
Amirchakhmaq Mosque has several distinct architectural features that separate it from other mosques;
The interesting feature of this mosque is its different entrances, which make it possible to access it from different neighborhoods. One entrance to the mosque is from the adjacent alley and the other entrance is from the courtyard of the tomb of Seti Fatima.
· The second important architectural feature of Amirchakhmaq Mosque is its two chapels. This mosque has a winter nave and a summer nave. The summer nave creates a cool atmosphere in the summer due to its architectural structure and ventilation in its upper part. The winter nativity scene is located on both sides of the entrance hall, which provides light and heat in the cold winter with the help of the reflection of sunlight in the marble stones of the nativity scene.
The third outstanding feature of the mosque is its unique tiling in the altar and its different parts, which will delight you with their eye-catching colors.
It might be interesting to you that Amirchakhmaq Mosque does not have a minaret. The real cause of this issue is not known, but there are two possibilities for it. The first possibility is that in the past, mosques built by women did not have minarets. The second possibility is the importance of the mosque to both Sunni and Shia groups, because Sunni mosques have one minaret and Shia mosques have two minarets. The absence of a minaret in Amir Chakhmaq Mosque has provided a place for the unity and empathy of Sunnis and Shiites, who can pray together regardless of the appearance of the mosque.
· Amirchakhmaq Mosque has inscriptions in Thuluth and Kufi script in its various parts, which is considered one of its attractions.
4- Amirchakhmaq palm
You may have heard the term palmistry. Palm turning is a symbolic ceremony that is performed during Muharram mourning in cities such as Yazd, Estehban, Kashan, Shahroud, etc. Among the palm-turning ceremonies, the palm-turning ceremony of Yazd city is world famous.
The palm is actually a huge wooden coffin, decorated with black and green cloths, and carried by a crowd of mourners. In addition to black fabrics, elements such as mirrors, daggers, etc. are installed on the palm, each of which is considered as a symbol of Ashura events and people.
Amirchakhmaq palm is one of the oldest palm trees in Iran, which is known as Heydari palm. Heydari's palm tree is built in the shape of a large cypress tree with a height of nearly 8.5 meters and is located in the east of Amirchakhmaq Square, the cypress tree is a symbol of freedom.
The date of this palm dates back to 450 years ago and the Safavid era. According to the evidence, the Amirchakhmaq palm has been in Amirchakhmaq square of Yazd since 1229, and on Ashura 1396, it was moved again by mourners after 70 years. This palm is kept in the same area on other days of the year.
5- Tomb of Seti Fatima
The tomb of Seti Fatima is one of the famous places in Yazd, in the north of Amir Chakhmaq Square, which, unlike many tombs we have heard of, belongs to a woman. Seti Fatemeh or Bibi Fatemeh Khatun was the wife of Amir Jalaluddin Chakhmaq, who was known as a learned and powerful woman in the 9th century of Hijri.
The word (seti) is derived from the Sanskrit word (sat), which over time has found the meaning of a high-ranking lady. Seti Fatemeh spent her material and spiritual life together with her husband for development and building valuable buildings such as the Amir Chahmaq complex in Yazd.
After her death, Seti-Fateme was buried in a building that she had ordered to be built, near the Amir Chakhmaq Mosque. This spectacular mausoleum is a small building with feminine elegance that displays the identity of this powerful lady. The entrance to the tomb of Seti Fatemeh is a double wooden door that leads you through a small corridor into the dome. His two-story marble tomb is located in the center of the dome, on which a cypress design is carved as a symbol of resurrection and life after death.
The clay dome of the tomb of Seti Fatemeh is the only cucumber dome in Iran that was built according to the unique architecture of the Timurid period. A similar example of this dome in Herat, Afghanistan, belongs to Mrs. Goharshad.
The history of Amirchakhmaq Square complex in Yazd starts from the era of Timurid rule in the 9th century AH. This square was built by the order of the ruler of Yazd, Amir Halaluddin Chakhmaq, and with the concurrence of his wife Fatemekhatun. One of the reasons for the construction of Roanq Square was the city of Yazd's development and development. In relation to the construction order of the buildings, it can be said that Jame New Mosque was first built in a place outside of Yazd city, i.e. Deh or Lower Dohuk, which later became the center of Yazd with the expansion of the city. After the construction of the mosque, other parts such as public bath, caravanserai, tekeh, reservoirs, etc. were built and the Amir Khachmaq complex was completed.
This building remained with the same name during the Safavid and Qajar periods, but it underwent small and large changes in each of the different periods of history. Shah Abbas rebuilt and restored Amir Chakhmaq Square and ordered the construction of a square on the caravanserai. In the 13th century AH, Maidan and Sardar Bazar became Hosseiniyeh. Although at that time Hasina did not have the current application. During the reign of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, a person named Haji Hossein Attar restored the Jame Mosque and added a new part to the mosque's main hall.
The tragic use of Amirchakhmaq Square in Yazd was in the early days of Pahlavi rule, at that time, this building had become a place to bury the dead and a mausoleum, which was stopped by Pahlavi rule. By destroying the graves, Pahlavi turned Amir Chakhmaq square into the usual lively square.
Amirchakhmaq Square witnessed many changes during Reza Shah's era. Part of these changes was due to the streets of Yazd, which led to the destruction of some walls of the square. During this period, the square was defined smaller, the mosque and the square in front of Hosseinieh were merged, and finally this complex was transformed into the building that you see now. Among the walls of the Amir Chakhmaq complex, only the southeast wall remains, which is considered the main support body.
Who is Amir Chakhmaq?
Amir Jalaluddin Chaqmaq Shami (Amir Chakhmaq) was one of the generals of the great king of the Timurid period, Shah Rukh Timuri, who was elected as the ruler of Yazd in 836 AH by Shah Rukh Timuri. Amir Chakhmaq followed Shahrukh's style of kingship and with the help of his wife Fatemeh Khatoon or Seti Fatemeh, spent a lot of time on the development of Yazd city. Amir Chakhmaq is famous for his activities in the construction and development of Yazd city.
Sights of Amir Chakhmaq Square
If you have noticed, until now, Amirchakhmaq Square has been named as Amirchakhmaq Square Complex. What has made Amirchakhmaq Square one of the tourist attractions of Yazd is its different parts, each of which has its own unique age and beauty and together they have formed an amazing collection. In the following, I will introduce the different parts of this collection.
1- Haji Qanbar market
The old market of Yazd is one of the famous places of Yazd, which was divided into two parts during the Pahlavi period due to the street killings of Yazd, and even a part of the market was destroyed and lost due to this operation. Currently, the northern part of the market, which is known as Kayserieh, is more prosperous than other parts. The goods that are sold in the old market of Amir Chakhmaq square include all kinds of fabrics, traditional Yazd sweets, gold, carpets, etc.
Haji Qanbar Bazaar is the oldest part of Yazd's covered market, the reason for this name is the construction of this building by Nizamuddin Haji Qanbar Jahanshahi, the ruler of Yazd in the 9th century. The 500-year-old history of Haji Qanbar market, its beautiful architecture and tiling, has made it one of the must-see places in Yazd's Amirchakhmaq Square complex.
2- Relying on Amir Chakhmaq
The Amirchakhmaq Leaning Tower is one of the attractions of the Amirchakhmaq complex in Yazd, which is located in the east of the square and was registered in the list of national monuments of Iran in 1330. Tekeh is a place with various pavilions that are used for holding religious ceremonies. As it was discussed about the changes of Amirchakhmaq square throughout history, the main square of the square had changes in the 13th century and during the Qajar period, during which two minarets and a support were added to it.
During the Pahlavi era, due to construction and street construction in this area, part of the walls of the bazaar were destroyed, and the only remaining main wall from that era is related to Amir Chakhmaq's support. This wall is a 3-story wall with brick stalls that are stacked on top of each other.
The middle section of the pavilions has a higher height than the side pavilions and has eye-catching decorations and tiles. For this reason, this pavilion is known as Shahneshin, which was a place for elders and high officials to sit and watch the tazee ceremony in the square. The booths on the sides were for women and ordinary people.
The minarets of Amir Chakhmaq tower above the Shahneshin section and the ear-splitting sound of the call to prayer invites everyone to pray from the top of the minaret every day. In the Shahneshin part, there is an old inscription that belongs to the year 1221 AH and is 180 years old.
Since ancient times, this square has been a place for the gathering of Yazd people in various situations, such as processions, demonstrations and religious ceremonies. One of the most important ceremonies that is held in this place every Muharram is the palm tree ceremony, the splendor of which attracts many tourists to this city every year.
6- Reservoirs in Amir Chakhmaq square
Amirchakhmaq Square is famous for its old reservoirs. If you don't know what a reservoir is, it's better to introduce it to you very simply first. Reservoir is a covered pond or pool in the basement, which is dug in the ground in low water and desert areas, the water of the reservoir is supplied from rain or seasonal streams.
In the past, Amirchakhmaq square of Yazd had three important reservoirs, namely Maidan reservoir, Seti Fatemeh reservoir, and Amirchakhmaq Reservoir, which has been completely destroyed over the years, and now only two reservoirs remain in this complex, which were until 40 years ago. was also used. After the opening of the water piping network in Yazd, the reservoirs lost their use and now they have many visitors as historical monuments, which are also registered in the list of national monuments of Iran.
7- Seti Fatima reservoir
Seti Fateme Reservoir or Panj Badgir Reservoir is one of the reservoirs in Amir Chakhmaq Square, which was built by the order of Seti Fatemeh in Sheikh Asdalah Street, on the north side of Amir Chakhmaq Square. This reservoir has a large tank. Seti Fateme Reservoir with its egg dome, brick headland and five long windbreaks built in an octagonal shape is very attractive to tourists.
8- Zorkhaneh of Sahib al-Zaman
Due to the fact that the water reservoir of Seti Fatemeh was no longer in use, this building was turned into a Zorkhane named Zorkhane Sahibul-Zaman in 1380 with the efforts of Pahlan Ali Derhami. Currently, this Zurkhaneh is the biggest Zurkhaneh in Yazd. Tourists can take advantage of the 40-minute session of Zorkhaneh Sahib Al-Zaman and watch ancient sports movements for a few minutes.
9- Amir Chakhmaq reservoir
Amir Chakhmaq Reservoir, whose other name is Haji Qanbar Reservoir, was built by the order of Nizamuddin Haji Qanbar Jahanshahi, in the distance between Tkeya and Haji Qanbar Bazaar. The reservoir has a diameter of 9 meters and is dug 14 meters deep. Tekeh Reservoir is reached by 50 steps to the water collection point and has four quadrilateral wind deflectors, three of which have been restored so far. Amir Chakhmaq Reservoir has several unique structural features:
In Tekeh Reservoir, water and air conditioning are completely inside the ground.
The wind deflectors are built in the wall of Haji Qanbar Bazarche and have a completely different structure compared to other wind deflectors in Yazd city.
The general structure of most of the reservoirs is such that the vertical staircase is connected to the middle, but in the Amir Chakhmaq Tekeh reservoir, the staircase and the treasury are built next to each other. In fact, if they wanted it to have a structure like other reservoirs, it would have to be empty under the minarets, which would destroy their endurance and there was a possibility of their destruction.
Amirchakhmaq Square Museum
A small museum has been created at the entrance of Amirchakhmaq Reservoir, right where we reach the water collection point after the stairs. In this museum, which is known as the Amirchakhmaq Square Museum of Yazd, old items related to water and people in ancient times are displayed, which are definitely worth watching.
? Where is Amir Chakhmaq Square
Address of Amir Chakhmaq Square: Yazd, Imam Khomeini Street, Amir Chakhmaq Square