What it means
مسجد جامع (masjed-e jâme’) literally means “the gathering mosque” and refers to the main congregational mosque of a city or town, where the Friday midday prayer (namâz-e jom’e) is performed. Both components come from Arabic: مسجد (masjed) from the root sajada, meaning to prostrate in worship, and جامع (jâme’) from jama’a, meaning to gather or bring together. A close related term is مسجد (masjed) alone, which refers to any mosque, while مسجد جامع specifically denotes the central Friday mosque of a community.
How to use it
- امروز نماز جمعه را در مسجد جامع میخوانیم. (emruz namâz-e jom’e râ dar masjed-e jâme’ mikhânim.) “Today we are reading Friday prayer at the congregational mosque.”
- مسجد جامع این شهر قدیمیترین بنای تاریخی اینجاست. (masjed-e jâme’-e in shahr qadimi-tarin banâ-ye târikhi injâst.) “The Friday mosque of this city is the oldest historical building here.”
- بعد از نماز، جلوی مسجد جامع منتظرت میمانم. (bad az namâz, jelo-ye masjed-e jâme’ montazer-et mimânam.) “After prayer, I will wait for you in front of the congregational mosque.”
- هر شهر ایرانی یک مسجد جامع مرکزی دارد. (har shahr-e irâni yek masjed-e jâme’-e markazi dârad.) “Every Iranian city has a central Friday mosque.”
Cultural note
The مسجد جامع has served as the social, political, and religious center of Iranian cities for over a millennium. Many of the most celebrated examples, such as the Masjed-e Jâme’ of Isfahan (also known as Masjed-e Atiq), date back to the early Islamic period and contain layers of architecture spanning multiple dynasties. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, Friday prayers at the congregational mosque carry political as well as religious significance, as the Friday prayer leader (imam-e jom’e) is appointed by the Supreme Leader and delivers sermons on current affairs.