History says that Alireza Abbasi wrote the inscriptions on the portal of the Maqsoud Beyk Mosque.
It was only after Shah Abbas approved of and expressed his satisfaction with his work that he allowed and ordered the calligrapher to begin working on the inscriptions of the Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque.
Alireza Abbasi gained such popularity with Shah Abbas that he was nicknamed “Shah-Navaz Khan” by the Shah.
Yet, behind the lobby of the Maqsoud Beyk Mosque, in a small chamber, a mausoleum is located, which belongs to Mir Emad, Abbasi’s biggest rival.
Much has been said on the fame and glory of Mir Emad, but there is a story that explains the cause of Shah Abbas’s estrangement from the renowned calligrapher:
One day Shah Abbas sent Mir Emad a salary of seventy tomans and asked him to write Shahnameh. This artist considered the wage inadequate and wrote just 70 verses. This act made Shah Abbas angry, and there began the animosity between the two.
In addition, many courtiers were jealous of him. All these resulted in Shah Abbas giving the order of Mir Emad’s murder.
The calligrapher’s body was then secretly buried in the Maqsoud Beyk Mosque. This mosque is famous among the public with the name “Zolomat* Mosque.”
*Zolomat literally means darkness in Persian.
