Masjed-e Jameh


The mosque’s internal courtyard, vaulted sanctuary and arcades date from the Sassanid period, although its cylindrical clay minaret is more recent – built as a lighthouse for caravans around 400 years ago. In the surrounding area is a ruined castle, a hammam (bathhouse) and an ab anbar (water reservoir) with four badgirs (windtower or ventilation shaft used to catch breezes and funnel them down into a building to cool it).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Gate of Farafar

11.33 MILES

This ancient structure, standing on the edge of Yazd, is of disputed origin. Estimated to be at least 1000 years old, it may represent the only remaining…

2. Saryazd Fortress

11.42 MILES

This wonderful old castle was once used as a giant safety deposit box for the protection of grains, jewellery and other valuables. The fortifications are…

3. Haftom-e Tir Park

13.5 MILES

Often dotted with the tents of refugees being granted free medical treatment in Iran, this park offers a shady place to wander on a hot summer's day.

4. Mirror & Lighting Museum

13.53 MILES

This elegant 20th-century mansion, dating from the 1940s, was confiscated after the 1978 revolution and has been converted into a quirky and fun museum…

5. Dakhmeh-ye Zartoshtiyun

13.75 MILES

Abandoned in the 1960s, these evocative Zoroastrian Towers of Silence are set on two lonely, barren hilltops on the southern outskirts of Yazd. Several…

6. Henna Mill

13.86 MILES

The lanes off Kashani St, near the Mirror & Lighting Museum, are home to a number of henna mills. With their huge grinding stones, rotated against a flat…

7. Ateshkadeh

14.65 MILES

Often referred to as the Zoroastrian Fire Temple, this elegant neoclassical building, reflected in an oval pool in the garden courtyard, houses a flame…

8. Clocktower

15 MILES

This structure in the middle of the city is a useful landmark for navigating between Yazd's key sights and bazaars.