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152
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(JULY, 1916
DIC
inscription "Shah Rukh Sultan, son of Allah-u'd Dowlah, son of Baisanghar, son of Shah Rukh, son of Amir Taimûr, A. H. 863 [1459] ':
Dating midway between these two is the Blue Mosque at Tabriz, built by Jahan Shah (1437-68), which Texier states had a double dome, according to Chardin and Tavernier, who visited it in the 17th century before it was wrecked by an earthquake. Now, although I am not quite satisfied, from the descriptions quoted, that such was actually the onse, yet I will mention what may prove to be a very interesting connecting link. Colonel C. E. Yatek states that Gauhar Shad was the sister of Kârâ Yûsuf Turkomân. Now as Jahân Shah, the builder of the Blue Mosque, was the son of the latter, it follows that he was the nephew of Gauhar Shad, and may very well have had the dome of her mosque at Meshed copied in his own mosque at Tabriz, supposing it really was a double bulbous one as Texier states.
Fig. 21. There is about the plan of this mosque, (Fig. 21), however, something which Fergusson calls Byzantine. I cannot quite see this myself, although the three domes in a row in front of the main dome-chamber, seem very unusual. The nearest approach to this plan that I can find in Byzantine architecture is that of Panhagia Lycodemo at Athens. Should this plan, however, really show Byzantine influence, it is tempting to try to put its date forward a few years so that it falls into the reign of Uzûn Hasan, Jahân Shah's successor, in which case I could suggest an explanation. Whether this can be done I cannot say, as I am unable to find the ultimate authority on which the attribution of it to Jahân Shah rests. However, could it be attributed to his successor, my explanation would be this.
Uzûn Hasan, was Baiendari of the Akkuyunlu or White Sheep dynasty of Turcomans and he defeated and killed Jahân Shah in 1468. Uzûn Hasan, who ruled at Tabriz, married Despina, the daughter of Calo Johannes, one of the last Comneni Emperors of Trebizond, which startling alliance was the outcome of the desire of the Christian Princes of Europe to unite with the Persians against the growing power of the Turks whose advance they were viewing with dismay. It is easy to conceive a Byzantine influence being introduced under such auspices, especially as the relations with the West were so close at this time that there was a Venetian ambassador, Caterino Zeno, at Uzûn Hasan's court, at whose instance he invaded Asia Minor, but was defeated by Sultan Muhammad II.59 Although I do not hold definite views as to the plan of the Blue Mosque, it nevertheless seems to me that there is here scope for interesting research.
The building shown (Plate IV, A.) is at Tâs 15 miles N. W. of Meshed but its date is not known. The dome is very interesting on account of the way in which the base is pierced with windows, a new feature. The nearest approach to this hitherto is at Verâmin where we saw narrow slit-like windows pierced in the octagonal drum on which the dome stood. Here, however, the idea is much more boldly applied, the base of the dome itself being pierced, and to neutralize the weakening effect of this it % Northern Afghanistan, p. 31.
* Sykes, Ten Thousand Miles in Persia, p. 65.
