Hussainiya-ye Moshir: Difference between revisions

'''Hussainiya-ye Moshir,''' a Hussainiya(q.v.) building located near the Baharband-e Moshir in the Sang-e Siah quarter of Shiraz, which is famous in particular for its exquisite tile paintings. It was built as an act of piety by Haji Mirza Abu’l-Hasan Khan Moshir-al-Molk-e Thani (1226-1307/1811 or 1812-89), a wealthy Qajar dignitary, who served as the vizier of Fars for thirty years. He financed the building of a number of religious institutions in Shiraz, including, in addition to this hussainiya(1290-93/1873-76), a magnificent mosque (1264-74/1848-57) named after him (Bamdad, Rejal I, pp. 39 ff.). The hussainiya building was originally attached to Moshir-al-Molk-e Thani’s house and garden, but they have not survived. His sole heir, his daughter Soltan Hajia, had his hussainiya transformed into a school (dabirestan) in 1306 Sh./1927 (see Homayuni, p. 14).

Hussainiya-ye Moshir, which boasts some of the finest examples of Qajar tile paintings (kashi-kari), stonework (hajjari), and building with stone, eventually attracted the attention of the Fine Arts Department and became listed as a national monument in 1972, after which it underwent restoration. Passion plays were performed there during the international symposium on [[taʿziya]] held at Shiraz in August 1976 (see photographs of the event in Chelkowski, pp. 103, 105, 109).

The most famous painting in the Ḥosayniya-ye Moshir is the panel of kashi-kari on the pediment built on the north side, above the shah-neshin (seat of honor) overlooking the courtyard where taʿziyas and other related rituals were performed. This masterpiece by the artist Aqa Mirza Bozorg represents scenes from the drama at [[Karbala]] on eight cartouches in two registers. These latter are separated by a frieze, containing a poem about [[Hussain ibn Ali|Imam Hussain]] and Karbala in fine nastaʿliq calligraphy by Wesal-e Shirazi (1193-1262/1779-1846). The centerpiece of the upper register depicts the Day of Judgement. Color photographs of this panel, together with other paintings, architectural details, and inscriptions at the Hussainiya-ye Moshir have been reproduced by Homayuni (1355 Sh. [2535]/1976; see also Masʿud-Ansari, p. 254; Chelkowski, p. 107 ff.; Fontana, p. 53 and fig. 58). The tile paintings compare favorably in quality with those found in the [[Imamzade]] Shah Zayd at Isfahan (late Qajar period, as identified by Chelkowski, p. 104, photos, pp. 100 ff.) as well as those in the Takia Moʿawen-al-Molk in Kermanshah (see Peterson).