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English Summary of:

R. STUCKERT: Der Baubestand der Masjid-al-Jami in Herat 1942/43. Afghanistan Journal (Graz, Austria)Vol.7, No.1,1980 pp 3-5.
B. GLATZER: Das Mausoleum und die Moschee des Ghoriden Ghiyath ud-Din in Herat. Afghanistan Journal (Graz, Austria), Vol.7, No.1, 1980, pp 6-22.

The Swiss architect Ruedi Stuckert worked in Herat during World War 2nd. In 1942 he was appointed to plan architectural innovations in Herat, e.g. the sports arena and some additions to the Grand Mosque, especially a new eastern entrance. During the preparations he measured the mosque, drew an exact ground plan, and took photo-graphs. His plan (fig.A) and photographs (nos. 1-12) show the mosque and mausoleum as they existed in 1942/43 before the modern alterations, restaurations and partly destructions took place. But most of these modernisations, especially the destruction of the Ghiyath ud-Din mausoleum were not due to his plans and were done without his consent after he left Herat.

Among Stuckert's photopraphs (nos. 1-12) the pictures of the destroyed mausoleum seem to me most valuable, especially nos. 6-8 with the two monumental kufic inscriptions. To my knowledge these photos are the only existing documents of this very elaborated Ghurid facade which, due to art historical ignorance, was torn down in 1945. Only a part of the southern wall of the mausoleum has survived, the rest is substituted by a much smaller modern neo-timurid structure, still called as "Ziyarat-e Sultan-e Ghiyath ud-Din-e Ghori".

Stuckert's photos were published previously by R.N. FRYE (Two Timurid Monuments in Herat. Artibus Asiae 11, 1948) but in such a small size and low printing quality that hardly anything can be seen on them; so to my opinion even FRYE himself was unable to analyse and to date the Mausoleum properly from these pictures.

In my article I try a critical survey of the relevant literature on this mosque and mausoleum which is known to me: Concerning the dating of the earliest parts of the mosque and the mausoleum I disagree with DIEZ (in NIEDERMAYER 1924), FRYE (1948), WILBER (1955), and BRANDENBURG (1977), and agree partly with SCHROEDER (1938/9) and I fully agree with MELIKIAN CHIRVANI (1970) (see bibliography in my article).

After an examination of the mosque's ground plan, after comparing the orientation of its "qibla" with that of other sacral buildings of the region, after comparing the very peculiar construction of the zone of transition of the mausoleum with that of Shah-i Mashhad in Badghis (1176 A. D.)(see drawings nos. D-F), and especially after examining style and contents of the older inscriptions in the mosque and all the inscriptions of the mausoleum seen on the photos (using the readings of MELIKIAN CHIRVANI, SAUVAGET, and my own), I come to the result that
  1. The construction and the substance of the mosque to its greatest extent are of the later Ghurid period: around 1200 A. D.
  2. The entire (now destroyed) mausoleum of Ghiyath ud-Din to the North of the mosque as seen in Stuckert's photographs with its construction, all its inscriptions and ornamentations was an excellent and typical example of Ghurid art and architecture and was contemporary to the older parts of the mosque, i.e. around 1200 A. D.

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