TEHRAN – The centuries-old Blue Mosque of Tabriz will undergo emergency restoration with minimal intervention to prevent further loss of its original tilework, a local official said.

On Wednesday, Vahid Navadad, East Azarbaijan province’s deputy director for cultural heritage, said moisture accumulation over decades had caused damage to the decorative layers and tilework of the monument, leading experts to initiate urgent stabilization measures.

Referring to precious efforts, he said that after funds were allocated for emergency restoration in early 2023, a natural drying process began in 2024, followed by reinforcement and protection of the mosque’s remaining decorations.

Navadad explained that many conservation efforts in the 1970s used acrylic coatings, which trapped moisture behind decorative layers and caused extensive damage to tiles and the underlying mortar. In some areas, he said, the damage had advanced so far that proper restoration was no longer possible.

According to Navadad, the current restoration team is working based on the principle of preservation with minimal intervention. He said the team has focused on comprehensive documentation and photogrammetry before taking any physical action.

He added that the current efforts include documentation with more than 3,000 photographs, structural stabilization, and preservation of existing elements, with no reconstruction work undertaken so far.

Due to the fragile condition of the decorative layers and the risk of further tile loss, Navadad said the team decided to stabilize all remaining tiles in place through localized consolidation methods. This approach, he said, has prevented additional damage and maintained the authenticity of the monument.

Navadad also reported that during the documentation process, several previously unnoticed inscriptions and texts were identified. These findings, he said, could reshape the historical understanding of the mosque’s founders, designers, and craftsmen. The results will be published in a specialized article for researchers and the media.

He said the provincial heritage office remains committed to protecting the monument, emphasizing that the ongoing restoration follows international principles of reversibility, minimal intervention, and comprehensive documentation.

Completed in the mid-15th century, the Blue Mosque of Tabriz (better known as Masjed-e Kabud) was among the most glorious buildings of the time. Once built, artists took a further 25 years to cover every surface with the blue majolica tiles and intricate calligraphy for which it’s nicknamed.

The mosque is named after, and celebrated for, its unrivalled tile decoration of which there is still evidence upon the ruined walls of the building. Both interior and exterior surfaces were once covered in a variety of tile revetment; remains of tile mosaic, underglaze-painted and overglaze-painted tiles, and luster tiles attest to the richness of the decorative scheme. Patterns are rendered in subtle colors with extensive use of cobalt blue as a ground for inscriptions and arabesque designs in gold and white. The dome was a deep blue, stenciled with gold patterns.

AM