Naein is a city in Isfahan province enroute Isfahan-Yazd road. Like much of the Iranian plateau, it has a desert climate, with a maximum temperature of 41 °C in summer, and a minimum of -9 °C in winter.
More than 3,000 years ago the Persians learned how to construct underground aqueducts (qanats) to bring water from the mountains to the plains. In the 1960s this ancient system provided more than 70 per cent of the water used in Iran and Naein is one of the best places in all the world to see these qanats functioning.
Unique to Naein are some of the most outstanding monuments in all of Iran: the Jame Mosque, one of the first four mosques built in Iran after the Arab invasion; the Pre-Islamic Narenj Fortress; Pirnia traditional house; the Old Bazaar; Rigareh, a qanat-based watermill; and a Zurkhaneh (a place for traditional sport).
Besides its monuments, Naein is also known for its carpets, wool textile and homemade pastry ( locally known as Copachoo).
Some linguists believe the word Naein may have been derived from the name of one of the descendants of the prophet Noah, who was called “Naen”]. Many local people speak an ancient Pahlavi Sasani dialect, the same dialect that is spoken by the Zoroastrians in Yazd today. Other linguists state that the word Na’in is derived from the word “Nei” (“straw” in English).
It has one of the earliest remaining mosques in Iran, and has a Sassanid era fort, now in ruins, called Narin Ghal’eh.
It extensively uses ab anbars (water cisterns). Nain is the most famous in the world for its rugs.
The initial construction of Naein Jameh Mosque dates back to the 8th Century CE, but the whole of the complex has been constructed incrementally.
One of the oldest mosques in Iran, its magnificent plasterwork over the niche, the marvellous brickwork around the yard, and its silent basement—which may have been used as a fire temple before the mosque was built here—are only a few of the features of this mosque.
This mosque has no Iwan and dome as do the other famous mosques in Esfahan and Yazd. A 28 m tall octagonal minaret was added to the mosque almost 700 years ago.
If you stand in the middle of the yard, you will find yourself surrounded by fourteen columns, each one adorned with a unique and intricate pattern of brickwork.
You might also be interested in the alabaster stonework which reflects sunlight throughout the basement.
One of the most exquisite pieces of artwork inside the mosque is the wooden marquetry pulpit (menbar). The carpenter matched the wooden parts together like a pieces of a puzzle. The pulpit is decorated with organic geometrical designs. According to the wooden inscription on the left side of the pulpit, it was created about 700 years ago.
An underground water channel runs underneath the mosque. There is a stairway that connects the mosque to the water channel and to chambers above the pool. In the past, people used the water for ablutions before prayers.
The basement used to be a prayer chamber in hot summers and cold winters. The temperature in the basement is always moderate, never varying more than 10 to 15 degrees. The basement wasn’t actually built; it was dug into the ground, which means no materials were used to construct it.
Rigareh water mill
The ancient Rigareh—a qanat-based water mill—is located in the Mohammadieh neighbourhood of Naein.
The age of this engineering masterpiece is unknown; however, some historians believe that it dates back to the pre-Islamic era.
The water is supplied by the Keykhosrow qanat channel and the mill is placed almost 28 m underground. The access corridor to the mill is about 133 m long.
A qanat channel crosses 9 meters above the mill and fills the huge 9-meter diameter water tank. When enough pressure is provided, the water is released and rotates the turbine.
The water then flows out along the channel and joins the main qanat channel with a gradual slope 15 meters further down.
This is one of few places in the country where visitors can get inside a living flowing Qanat accessible through a 12 m corridor.
Since the advent of electricity to grind wheat and barley, this watermill has become a part of history.
Pirnia traditional house and ethnology museum
The Pirnia traditional house is a perfect example of this region’s desert houses in terms of architecture and art and was constructed in the Safavid Period.
The house consists of an exterior, an interior, a deep garden, a silo room and all of the facilities that a lord’s house needed to have at the time it was constructed.
When you enter the house and pass the first corridor, you reach an octagonal room called “hashti”, which used to be a waiting room for the visitors.
Paintings, plasterwork of Quranic stories, a book of poems and calligraphy decorate the living room.
First, a judge of Na’in lived there. Then, during the Qajar Period, the house belonged to a governor of Na’in. Just a few decades ago, the house was purchased by the Ministry of Culture and Art. – After a renovation in 1994, the house was converted into a desert ethnology museum.
The Mosallah is another monument in Na’in. Its vast garden used to be a recreational area until a few years ago. The mausoleum inside the Mosallah was a pilgrimage site for visitors. The dome of the Mosallah is opposite the dome of the shrine of Emamzadeh Sultan Seyyed Ali and these two are connected by a street. There is a water cistern on one side of the garden, which can be accessed by people inside and outside the garden through a stairway on each side. Water in this reservoir was cooled by two wind towers. The water cistern (ab-anbar) was in use until a few years ago. The architectural style of Na’in’s Mosallah is characteristic of the Qajar dynasty and a number of literary, political and religious figures are buried at this site. “Mosallah” is an Arabic word for a place of prayer but, no one knows if any praying was ever done at this location. The Mosallah is an octagonal mausoleum of dervishes and Qajar and Pahlavi political figures. It is encompassed by a Qajar-era military fort with a high wall thick enough for a horse to be ridden along the top. The pistachio trees around the turquoise-domed mausoleum and two tall wind towers make the complex very photogenic.
Castle of Narenj
Narenj Qal’e is a remnant of a structure that was also known as Narin castle. The construction materials used in the castle, as well as its style of architecture, support the idea that it was built in the pre-Islamic era. According to surveys and other evidence, this monument might belong to the Parthian period.
The exact use of the castle is not known. However, it is thought to have been part of the military and official compounds of the city. Many researchers of the Safavid era have spoken of numerous castles known as Narikh Qalae, which were used for military purposes. Hence, it can be concluded that Naeen’s Parikh Qalae was also a military establishment. The historian and researcher, Estakhri mentioned there was a moat with a 3,000 ft perimeter dug around the castle.
Naein bazaar extends 340 m in a curved line from the Gate of Chehel Dokhtaran to the mosque of Khajeh Khezr and is connected by main alleys as well as by tributary passages to centres of neighbourhoods. The bazaar has two crossroads or chahar su.
Parts of the bazaar have been renovated and the many and varied shops in the bazaar were active until a few years ago.
However, nowadays the bazaar has been almost deserted since the retailers moved to the city’s streets.
A number of Na’in’s important monuments, such as the mosque of Sheikh Maghrebi, the mosque of Khajeh, and the Hosseinieh of Chehel Dokhtaran are still noteworthy facets of Naein’s extraordinary bazaar.
Zurkhaneh (literally “house of strength”) is a traditional gym combined with art and literature.
This sport with thousands of years of history has played a great role in empowering the mental and physical health aspects of the people. Zurkhaneh Sports is a cultural heritage and a good resource for Sports for All.
There are 3 zurkhanehs in Na’in but the Valiye Asr Zurkhaneh located in Valiye ASr street is the most suitable to visit.
Aba bafi man made caves
In the Muhammadieh neighbourhood of Naein, there are some man-made caves. Locals call them sardab (cellar) and aba bafi (cloak-weaving workshop).
Evidence shows that they were dug by the Zoroastrian inhabitants who used to live there because the cave entrances open to the east where the sun rises.
After they were abandoned by the Zoroastrians, Muslim inhabitants used them as loom workshops to weaving cloaks and rugs.
There is an ancient fort over the hill, 150 m away, with a small entrance at the back.
Weaving cloaks by hand is one of the most valuable handicrafts and historical arts of Na’in. Some of the workshops are 700 years old.
Naein’s winter textiles are very famous and are woven from two types of sheep and camel wools. Clothing styles have changed, but the cloaks are still quite famous in some Arab countries.
Fatemi House is the grandest traditional house in Naein. It is located in front of Narenj Castle, beside the old bazaar of Na’in.
The house was originally the possession of one of the most influential families in Naein.
Fatemi House consists of a large number of sections, each one with a different function: winter living rooms, summer living rooms, stable, resting rooms, silos, corridors, dining rooms for guests, and other facilities.
Most of the rooms are furnished with stained glass windows, inlaid wooden doors, and plasterwork. The house is now the property of a cultural heritage organization.
The Mohammadieh neighbourhood is located about 2 km east of Naein and also houses the Jameh and Sar Kuche Mosques, a fortress, the ancient Rigareh watermill and the cloak workshops.
The mosque of Mohammadieh was built in the late 10th and early 11th Centuries CE. The altar of the mosque and the ceilings on the two sides of the mosque’s nocturnal prayer hall or Shabestan resemble the Jameh Mosque of Na’in.