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Photographer Captures the Beautifully Kaleidoscopic Ceilings of Mosques

By Anna Gragert on February 23, 2016

Photographer Mehrdad (aka @m1rasoulifard) tours the mesmerizing mosques of Iran and looks upward for inspiration. As he's wandering through both ancient and iconic mosques in his country, the artist mainly focuses on the designs that evoke an impressive amount of history. Since the mosque ceilings are his main muse, Mehrdad often finds sweeping mosaics and incredibly intricate works of geometry when he points his lens to the sky. These designs are not only incredibly vibrant and detailed, they also contain thought-provoking symbolism that breathes life into the mosques' architecture.

What's perhaps most interesting is that, without context, one may not realize that Mehrdad's photographs zero in on ceilings. On their own, these incredible snapshots look like elaborate mandalas and some even appear as though they're the inside of a kaleidoscope.

To see what labyrinthine ceiling catches the artist's attention next, you can follow Mehrdad on Instagram.

Above: Hazrate-masomeh's mosque in Qom, Iran

Hazrate-masomeh's mosque in Qom, Iran