Damghan
Damghan is the capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. It is situated 342 kilometres east of Tehran on the high-road to Mashad.
Tari Khana Mosque
This is one of the oldest mosques in Iran. According to the Department of Archeology the construction was built atop a Sassanid fire temple of the early period. Tarikhane, in Turkish “God’s House’, integrates a simple Arabic mosque plan with Sassanid building techniques. There are single rows of lateral arcades and the entrance facade extends towards the courtyard. Tari Khana Mosque is one of the most important monuments remained from early Islamic centuries in Iran. Based on some books, it was built during the reign of the first Abbasid caliph in 132. The reconstruction of the mosque was finished in Century 2 AH according to Sassanid architecture style. A brick minaret was added to this monument in Seljuk period which is currently 26 meters high and its body is decorated with brickwork.
Tughrul Tower
Located in the south of Mehmandust Village in Damghan County the original dome of it has fallen off and the date of the tower is 490 hijri year in Seljuk era which is written on a manuscript in Kufic.
The tall brick Tugrul tower in Mehmandust was constructed in 1097. The exterior shape of the tower is that of a polygon with 12 angles. The tower’s conical dome and some part of its Kufic inscription are destroyed.
The position of towers and their height assist travelers to find the roads leading to cities. Moreover, the towers are used as the tombs and monuments of famous characters.
Regarding their structures, it is apparent that the Iranian medieval towers had various functions. Acting as tombs is the most common usage they possessed particularly in the conditions that new tombs were constructed in towers in different eras. Their shapes made them applicable for astronomical affairs. Besides, the towers functioned as symbols of political and architectural features of the Iranian medieval dynasties.