Shadirvan

This article is about fountains in mosque courtyards. For the type of wall fountain by the same name, see Salsabil (fountain).

A şadırvan for ritual ablutions in front of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey
Shadırvan in Po-i-Kalyan, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

A shadirvan (Persian: شادروان, Turkish: şadırvan, Arabic: شاذروان) is a type of fountain that is usually built in the courtyard or near the entrance of mosques, caravanserais, khanqahs, and madrasas, with the main purpose of providing water for drinking or ritual ablutions to several people at the same time, but also as decorative visual or sound elements.[citation needed]

Shadirvans are Persian in origin and, with a curtain or drape, were originally placed in the tents of rulers or on the balconies of palaces.[1] They are a typical element of Ottoman architecture.[2][3]: 459 

  1. ^ Rabbat, Nasser (1960–2007). Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill. ISBN 9789004161214.
  2. ^ Sumner-Boyd, Hilary; Freely, John (2010). Strolling Through Istanbul: The Classic Guide to the City (Revised ed.). Tauris Parke Paperbacks.
  3. ^ Goodwin, Godfrey (1971). A History of Ottoman Architecture. New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0500274290.