[3][2][4][1] A more recent study by archeologist Chahryar Adle proposes that the mosque was built earlier, in 794, based on a reading of historical sources, on estimates obtained from radiocarbon dating, and on a re-analysis of the decorative style.

According to this hypothesis, the mosque was built on the orders of the Barmakid governor of Khorasan at the time, Fazl ibn Yahya, appointed by the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.

[2] According to Adle, the mosque was also built inside the precinct of a large, pre-existing Buddhist religious complex called Now-Bahar, which had been under the care of the Barmakid family for generations before this.

[6][8] In 2006, based on a request from Afghan authorities, UNESCO, and the French Archaeological Delegation in Afghanistan (DAFA),the site was visited by a team of experts and a representative of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

As part of the project, a larger temporary metal roof was constructed to protect the site from rain, wind and other natural disasters.