AhlulBayt News Agency: Rangooniha mosque in Abadan city, Khuzestan province, has been built by a Muslim from Myanmar. Oil pipes, rebars and rails have been used in major and minor beams of Shabestan (an underground space prevalent in traditional Iranian architecture observed in mosque).
According to Mehr news agency, oil and oil refinery helped the prosperity of Abadan city. Rangooniha mosque, with its unique architecture and decorations, is a tourism destination of Khuzestan tours.
The first English group who came Abadan for construction of oil refinery were staff of Rangoon Refinery. They also brought their assistants who were Sunni Muslims. After arrival to Abadan, the started to build a mosque. Therefore, Rangooniha mosque was established during the late Qajar era in coast of Arvand river in 1921.
Any visitor remembers Indian mosques and temples particularly temples of northwest of India and Panjab when he/she sees the monument of Rangooniha mosque.
The decorations of this monument are similar to the embossed plasterwork. This is while these decorations have made of cement.
Some construction materials of the mosque including the dyes have been brought from India.
Rangooniha mosque remained intact during Sacred Defense era in 1980-88 .
Shabestan is located in one store in an area of 150 square meters . Shabestan’s walls have been made of mixture of sand and lime mortar. The minarets have been built of bricks and mixture of sand and lime mortar.
Rangooniha mosque was registered under the number 2289 on National Heritage List on March 1999.
Several historic mosques in Khuzestan province have been included among Iran’s nominees for a collective UNESCO listing, said Mohammad Jourvand, head of the Khuzestan Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department in December 2025.
Speaking to the Tehran Times on Thursday, Jourvand said mosques such as the Jameh mosques of Shushtar and Dezful are among the most important historical religious structures in the country, dating back to the third and fourth centuries of the Islamic calendar, although some sources trace parts of them to the sixth and seventh centuries.
He said the two mosques are key components of the proposed “Persian Mosque” dossier, a serial nomination that includes a number of historic mosques across Iran for possible inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. According to Jourvand, the mosques of Khuzestan are considered among the most influential examples within the collection, and preparatory work for the nomination has been completed. “We participated in the evaluation sessions, and issues related to annexes and documentation have been reviewed and addressed,” he said.
Referring to the Rangooniha Mosque in Abadan, the official noted that although it does not match the historical age of the Jameh mosques of Shushtar and Dezful, it represents a unique architectural and cultural example in Iran. He said the mosque’s distinctive design and use of color, influenced by Indian and Pakistani architectural traditions, make it a rare and notable structure in the country.
Jourvand added that the Rangooniha Mosque is under the ownership of the Khuzestan Cultural Heritage Department and has undergone appropriate restoration work in recent years. “This building is one of the mosques that leaves a strong impression on every visitor,” he said.
Emphasizing the broader role of mosques in Iranian society, Jourvand said their historical function extended beyond worship to education, cultural gatherings, poetry circles and artistic activities. He noted that while mosques played a significant social and cultural role in recent decades, particularly during the years following the Sacred Defense, many of these functions have gradually diminished.
“Reviving the cultural and social role of historical mosques requires renewed attention and planning,” he said.
Iran has placed 17 of its most significant mosques on UNESCO’s Tentative List under the collective title “Persian Mosque,” highlighting the evolution of Islamic architecture in the country from the early Islamic period to the late Qajar era. The nomination aims to demonstrate how Iranian architectural traditions shaped and influenced mosque design across the Islamic world.
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