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| Taft, the jewel of desert |
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Spreading on an area of 7000 sq. km, the township has two main districts: Nir and Markazi, and the nine rural districts of Shirkouh, Islamieh, Ali-abad, Nasr-abad, Poshtkouh (Zardain), Banadkouh, Dehshir, Sakhvid, and Garizat. Its main cities are Nir and Taft, which are the pomegranate plantation as well as silkworm centers of the province. Taft’s pomegranates are so fine that a large number of them are packed for other regions. Its peaches, too, are quite famous throughout Iran. Most of the villages of Taft are located around Shirkouh Mountain, as if they have cordoned it. There are hundreds of Islamic and pre-Islamic sites, buildings and holy precincts and shrines in these villages, some of which had been populated even in pre-Islamic centuries. It is said that the village of Tooran Posht was built by Toorandokht, one of the princesses in the Sassanid dynasty whom is said to be the queen for a period of time. Another thing that must be said about the city of Taft is the residing of the Shah Nematollah Vali for a period of time. The name of Taft has been mentioned in many historical books since the 9th century A.H. Dr. Bastani Parizi, one of the renowned historians has annotated the name of the city of Taft to the extreme summer heat of the desert. The name, Taft has also been synonymous to a fruit basket and it seems that this meaning is more suitable for the city as Taft’s weather is pleasant during summer. About 65 percent of the people in Taft are involved with gardening and agriculture. One of the main and renowned agricultural products of Taft is the Pomegranate. Due to the vast agricultural activities, many flowers and herbs are grown in Taft; therefore, a lot of rose water, herbal products and herbal juices are exported from the city. Besides handicraft, silk worm business is another profession for some of the people of Taft. Shah Vali Mosque  Built between 1468 and 1484, the Shah Vali Mosque is composed of a large square domed central hall flanked by long rectangular halls to the east and west. The hall to the west is a later construction believed to have replaced the original hall, probably a mirror copy of the one to the east. The main chamber of the mosque is entered from the northeast via an iwan and a long hall, which do not follow the main northeast-southwest axis of the mosque. The original entrance of the mosque is believed to have been the back wall of the long iwan hall preceding the dome chamber. Here, set within a frame of mosaic faience dated to 1484, are latticed wooden doors, above which is a triangular "pediment" of carved wood. On its exterior, the mosque is surrounded on all sides by the urban fabric of Taft, and therefore its individual elevations cannot be described. An entrance alcove follows the long entrance hall and precedes the main chamber. The dome measures 10.5 meters across and is supported by eight massive piers and arches framing each of the bays and the four corner piers. The original prayer hall to the east of the main chamber is flanked by a smaller rectangular hall on either side, followed by two more halls (of narrower but longer dimensions) to the northeast side. The prayer hall to the west is presumably articulated in a similar fashion. The main dome chamber has whitewashed walls and is decorated only with a perimeter dado of hexagonal blue tiles framed with a strip of mosaic faience. The rest of the mosque is decorated simply with plaster, carved and molded following the lines of the architecture. The bays surrounding the main domed chamber each have stellate vaults. Located in the mihrab niche is a marble stone slab measuring 125 by 64 centimeters that is decorated with a candle pattern and floral engravings.   Socialize this Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
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