Study of historical evolution and formation of Jameh Mosque of Kashan

The historical context of Kashan, which has a Qajar form and includes valuable and magnificent buildings. This context has several neighborhoods, and one of these neighborhoods, which is strongly believed to be the oldest one and the primary nucleus of the city, is the famous Meydan Kuhneh neighborhood, which is the site of one of the oldest buildings in the city, the old Jameh Mosque. So far, no published study has been done on the architecture of this mosque and its history and evolution, and due to the importance of this building, no significant work has been done on it.This lack of study and attention can be seen in its current state. This study intends to examine the structure and components of this building, the evolution and development of the Jameh Mosque. The method of this research is documentary and interpretive-historical and an attempt is made to identify the current condition of the mosque building based on field studies.Then, relying on historical sources and physical evidence, while examining the situation of different periods of the mosque, its formation, development and evolution will be discussed. The results indicate that the primary core of the neighborhood was formed near the northern edge of the old context and in the path of historical passages, and the Jameh Mosque was one of the primary components of the neighborhood, which was developed and expanded along with the evolution of the neighborhood. It is from an old crypt building at the level of the historical bazaar of the neighborhood, to a two-story structure that was probably built in the second century AH. While expanding into a prayer hall and creating a minaret during the Seljuk period, it became a Shabestani mosque. And in the patriarchal and Timurid period, a porch and a dome were added to the building; During the general reconstruction in the Zandieh period and during the restorations and the addition of some minor additions in the Qajar period, gradually it change into a two-porch mosque with two middle open spaces, on two levels of basement and ground floor. The Jameh Mosque declined with the decline of the neighborhood and the change of the center of the city, and now operates as a local mosque.