Dazzling Images of Iranian Mosques Interiors

Columns, Carpets , Colors and the Light.taken in Nasir al-mulk mosque , Shiraz

(CNN) — It’s a side of Iran the rest of the world doesn’t normally get to see — the kaleidoscopically brilliant interiors of the country’s intricately designed mosques.

With beautiful mosaics and stained glass framed by powerful architecture, the buildings are astounding. Their fine detail has been captured in a series of breathtaking photographs by Mohammad Reza Domri Ganji, a 24-year-old physics student from Babol, a city in Iran’s northern Mazandaran province.

What’s equally incredible is that Ganji’s skills behind the lens are largely self-taught from watching internet tutorials. Add to that the difficulties of actually taking high quality photos in mosques, where using equipment such as tripods is heavily restricted. Ganji says his project to document mosque interiors and other Iranian landmarks began in 2008 after he was inspired by images taken inside Egypt’s pyramids.