This Is Either an Insanely Beautiful Mosque in Iran, or You Are Tripping Really Hard Right Now

Good news: The photos below are indeed of a gorgeous historic mosque in Iran, and they are breathtaking.

The images are of the interior of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque, located in Shiraz, Iran. Construction began in 1876 upon the order of one of the lords of the Qājār dynasty, and it's still in use today under the protection of an endowment.

In addition to the kaleidoscopic effect produced by sunlight passing through its extensive colored glass, the "Pink Mosque," as it is sometimes called, is also known for its intricate, rose-colored tiling.

Viewed at a distance (tip: shrink your browser), the multi-dimensional tiling of the mosque's ceiling vaults almost looks like some kind of beautiful, futuristic moss.

Most of the photos seen here were taken by 24-year-old photographer and physics student Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji. His specialty is obviously wide-angle/fisheye shots, and his most recent project has been to document the interiors of Persian landmarks, including historic mosques like Nasir al-Mulk, as well as churches and other Iranian cultural sites. Ganji is self-taught, having learned most of what he knows about photography from internet tutorials.

Many of these shots were more difficult than they might seem. For starters, "Only in the late Autumn and early Winter, when the sun is lower in the sky, does one have access to the intense, broad spectrum light inside the mosque. Also, this mosque is open to the public during scheduled times, and group of visitors frequently come and crowd the space," recalled Ganji.

While tourists are usually permitted inside historic mosques like this one, using tripods and other professional equipment is typically forbidden. As Ganji recalled, "Most of the time I had to take care of lots of paperwork, spending several days to get official permission...This process is even harder than it sounds, and I've had several unsuccessful efforts."

You can follow Ganji on Facebook here, or go check out the rest of his photo explorations on his website.

