Nuh Gunbad Mosque or Haji Piyada Mosque is considered to be the oldest Islamic structure in Afghanistan. The construction date of the mosque is uncertain. The traditionally accepted view dates the mosque to the 9th century based on its similarity to the Abbasid-style city of Samarra. On the other hand, the archeologist Chahryar Adle suggests that the structure was built in 794 at the behest of the Barmakid governor of Khorasan at the time. Adle also claims that the mosque was part of a pre-existing Buddhist religious complex called Now-Bahar.
The mosque took serious damage due to earthquakes and its domes collapsed. The original building had nine bays, each covered by a dome and divided by intricately carved arches. The popular name of the mosque, Nuh Gunbad refers to the nine domes that once covered the structure. Meanwhile, its modern name, Haji Piyadah mosque comes from the tomb of the saint buried at the entrance of the structure.
The mosque was made of mud and baked bricks and covered with plaster. The deeply carved stucco covered the interior almost entirely and the short screen walls on the courtyard façade. The dating of the stucco and the arches is a matter of debate because the structure underwent at least three construction phases. Nevertheless, the popular idea attributes their construction to the ninth century as the patterns bear similarities with the Abbasid or Samanid styles.
