Kufa Mosque in the Mirror of Western Studies: History and Islamic Art

Abstract

The Kufa Mosque, as one of the oldest and most significant mosques of the Islamic world, has historically performed multiple functions in religious, political, social, and cultural domains. This research, with an interdisciplinary approach, examines the historical, narrative, jurisprudential, and artistic status of the Kufa Mosque in Islamic texts and in the mirror of contemporary Orientalist studies. The findings of the study indicate that, in Shiʿa thought, the Kufa Mosque is more than a place of worship and is presented as an eschatological axis of expectation for the appearance of Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance) and as the center for the establishment of a global divine government of justice. In Shiʿa narrations, this mosque is mentioned with numerous virtues and is considered the locus of manifestation of the Alavid utopia. Orientalists of the 19th and 20th centuries also studied the ritual, political, and symbolic functions of this mosque, identifying it as an example of the intertwining of religion and politics in early Islamic civilization. Furthermore, the architectural and artistic dimensions of the Kufa Mosque—from the simple structure of early Islam to the magnificent ornamentations of later periods—reflect the cultural and religious transformations in Islamic history. The Kufa Mosque holds a central role in Shiʿa religious rituals, particularly in the ceremonies of the mid-Shaʿban night and in supplications of anticipation, and is perceived as a bridge between Islam’s historical past and its promised religious future. Accordingly, a comprehensive study of the various dimensions of this mosque contributes to a deeper understanding of the doctrinal, social, and artistic dynamics within Islamic civilization.