God’s blessings are on the (Shi’i) martyrs. Thus, Shi’i invocation echoes the Quranic verses in its stress on the truthfulness of God’s message. The poem of Shaykh Bahai on the right wall prays for help from the Fourteen Immaculate Ones (Muhammad, Fatima and the Twelve Imams), while the inscriptions on the interior of the dome emphasize the virtues of charity, prayer and honesty, as well as the correctness of following Islam and its prophets versus the error of other religions. The specifically Shi’i passages and their prominent placement in the mihrab, on the two lateral walls and in the horizontal bands of each corner, underscore the pre- eminence of this creed in Safavid Iran. The fact that two poems by Shaykh Bahai, a devoted Sufi, grace the walls of Shah Abbas’ private mosque, proves that, although some Sufi elements in the empire were suppressed, Sufism as a general phenomenon continued to play an important role in the Safavid society. The design of the interior of the dome also inspired the design of the Azadi Square in Tehran. Gallery See also Naqsh-e Jahan Square Chehel Sotoun Hasht Behesht Safavid art List of Mosques in Iran Islamic architecture Iranian architecture History of Persian domes References Bibliography </ref> Further reading Iranica article External links The Mosque Sheikh Lotfollah A Documentary film directed by Manouchehr Tayyab (15 min) Shaikh Lotfollah Mosque, Isfahan Masterpiece of Islamic Architecture http://msol.ir/public/user_data/images/2685019604ea40eb362903.jpg Religious buildings and structures completed in 1618 Mosques in Isfahan 1618 establishments in Iran de:Meidān-e Emām#Scheich-Lotfollāh-Moschee