Husayniyah-i Khan
Tabas, Iran
The Madraseye Khan, known today as the Husseiniya Khan, is a multifunctional religious building. It is used as a madrasa and as a husseiniya during the Muharram (Ashura) festival, when the martyrdom of the Shi'a saint Hussein is commemorated. The madrasa also contains a mosque. Within the city walls of Tabas, the madrasa is located on the south side of the bazaar. It was constructed by one of Tabas's rulers in 1834 (AH 1250). The building is oriented northeast-southwest, and is square in plan with chamfered corners. Centered on a square courtyard with an octagonal pool in its center, two northwest and southeast iwans, along with two rows of arcaded rooms on the other sides, enclose the courtyard. The iwans were constructed using a two-screen form, common in the Tabas region. In this technique, the hall behind the iwan is separated from the courtyard by a screen. Thus, an iwan may not appear deep, but contains unseen entrances leading to a rear hallway.

The northwest iwan is unique in that the screen separating the hall from the courtyard contains five small arched openings into the rear hallway. Two sets of two-story rooms, which help to structurally support the iwan, flank it on either side. The southeast iwan is found at a distance of fifty-two meters from its northwest counterpart. The two are similar overall, and the southeast iwan is also bracketed by a set of two-story rooms. However, its separation screen functions on two levels; its second level works as a bridge, connecting the two rooms on either side of the iwan. Viewed from the courtyard, the screen has three arches on its upper level and three on its lower level.

The main entrance of the mosque is along the bazaar route, and formerly opened directly into the bazaar. Entering the mosque, one enters a short corridor that leads into a large octagonal space. This octagonal space, which is decorated with stucco and muqarnas vaults, connects to a second corridor decorated with arches along its walls. The mosque is constructed of brick, as are the arcaded rooms around the courtyard, whose interior vaults are also stuccoed. The vault and arches of its northwest iwan are decorated with stucco muqarnas, while the arches of the southeast iwan are ornamented on the interior and exterior with geometric brickwork. The screen in the southeast iwan contains three arches on its upper level, and one arch, flanked by two rectangular openings, on its lower level.

Two small mosques, the summer and the winter mosques, are found in the west and east corners of the madrasa, which were used by madrasa students and the general public.

Sources:

Danishdust, Ya'qub. Tabas shahri kih bud, 54, 199-223. Tehran: Sazman-i Miras-i Farhangi-i Kishvar: Intisharat-i Surush, 1990.
Location
Tabas, Iran
Events
1833-1834/1249 AH
Style Periods
1779-1924
Variant Names
Hosseinyeh Khan
Variant
Husseinyah Khan
Variant
Building Usages
religious
religious