Holy Shrines

The holy shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam in Islam, is geographically located in a city called Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi Province. The city is considered as the holiest place of Iran because of the holy shrine. Imam Reza Holy Shrine is the largest shrine of the world considering its area. This complex includes many other constructions and popular monuments which are tourist attractions too such as Goharshad Mosque, museum, library, seminaries, cemetery, university of Islamic Science, prayer halls and dining halls. The holy shrine of Imam Reza is surrounded by seven courtyards and this adds to the magnificence of the shrine. Dust Clearing is a famous ceremony hold in the shrine, visiting the shrine at this time makes you enjoy its spiritual atmosphere. The fundamental construction of the holy shrine dates back to 9th century

The complex contains a total of Seven courtyards, which cover an area of over 331,578 m²(3,569,080 sq ft):The courtyards also contain a total of 14 minarets,and 3 fountains.

Goharshad Mosque

This mosque is one of the most reputed in Iran and is situated adjacent to the Holy Shrine of Imam Ridha. It was built in 821 AH. under the orders of Goharshad begum, Shahrokh Mirza’s wife. Its area is 9410 Sq Meters and includes a courtyard, four porches and seven large prayer halls. Two minarets, each 40 meters high, are located on both sides of Maqsureh Porch. There is an inscription on the left on the margin of the porch written by Baisonqor, one of the best calligraphists of the time. The Sahib-al Zaman Pulpit is in Maqsureh porch. It was built in 1243 H with walnut wood and without using any iron or nail. This mosque has a public library with 34,650 volumes.

Because of historical background of Imam Reza shrine, it is collection of historical objects such as; Minarets, Nqqareh Khaneh (Place of Kettle Drums), Saqqa Khaneh (Public Drinking Place), Sa’at (the Clock),Dar-al Hoffaz (the place of the Reciters), Towhid Khaneh (place of Divine Unity),Dar-al-Siyadah, Bala-Sar Mosque, Dar-al Rahmah Porch, Allahverdi Khan Dome, Hatam Khani Dome, Golden Dome, Astan Quds Mehmansara.

Lady Fatima Masoumeh shrine – Qom

The Fatima Masoumeh Shrine is located in Qom , Iran . Fatima Masoumeh was the daughter of the seventh Imam of Shia Muslims Musa Al-Kadim and the sister of Imam Reza. The shrine is a monument with valuable tile works and mirror works. There is a very great variety of tile works that draws your attention. The shrine is surrounded by a silver cribriform wall .

It is a classic Shia shrine. Even if you don’t believe in Islam and you are a tourist you can expect more than 100 years old shrine and its beautiful mirror works.

Fatima Masoumeh shrine architecture

 The shrine is a structure with wonderful signs of Islamic architecture. It has been adorned with marvelous figures. When a visitor arrives at the outskirts of the city, he will see two minarets shining in the distance.

The dome leans over a silver tomb crowned with gold. The tomb is four meters high, five meters and twenty-five centimeters long and four meters and seventy-three centimeters wide.

There is in the eastern side of Shrine, a hall decorated with hundreds of mirrors where lights reflect to make it more beautiful and wonderful. This hall adjoins with the Haram by a porch, which is seven meters and eighty centimeters high, seven meters and eighty-seven centimeters wide and nine meters long. The porch stands on four stone pillars. Each of them is eleven meters high.

There are two minarets on this hall. Each of them is twenty-eight meters high from the roof of the hall. It is written on the top of them in one meter width “la hawla wela quwatta illa billah”: there is no power save in Allah” and on the other one “subhanallah, wel hamdu lillah, wela ilaha illallah, wellahu akbar”: glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah and Allah is Great”.

The visitors feel a state of spirituality and happiness under the shadows of the shrine of Lady Masoumeh and in the new yard where several minarets extend high towards the Heaven and lights reflect in the hall, which is decorated with hundreds of mirrors besides the flying flocks of doves, which have taken this holy shrine as warm nests.v

Shāh Abdol Azīm Shrine located in Rey, Iran, contains the tomb of: ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Hasanī. Shah Abdol Azim was a fifth generation descendant of Hasan ibn ‘Alī and a companion of Muhammad al-Taqī. He was entombed here after his death in the 9th century.

This holy shrine beside two other monuments that are related to Imamzadeh Hamzeh -son of the fourth shia Imam, Imam Sajjad-  (peace be upon him) and Imamzadeh Taher – brother of the eighth Twelver Imām – Imām Reza- (peace be upon him) is one of the famous Iranian Shia shrines that its antiquity dates back to the Ilkhanid, Safavid and Qajar era.

A revered Shia pilgrim site in Tehran, the Shah Abd-Al-Azeem Shrine complex is about half an hour drive from the Imam Khomeini International airport.

Some of the people have been quoted from Imam Hadi (AS), pilgrimage of the grave of Abdul Azim Hasani was like someone who had visited Imam Hussein (AS) grave.

The whole construction consists of a portal with a lofty Iwan decorated with mirrors, several courtyards, a golden cupola, two tile minarets, a portico, a sepulcher, and a mosque.

The most historical and portable relic of this holy place, is its costly box which is made of betel-nut wood. On four sides of this precious box, a relief inscription in Nastaliq and Thuluth script is carved. The inscription ends with the date 1330 CE, and the name of the maker of the box, i.e., Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Isfahani.

An inlaid door near the mausoleum of Nasser al-Din Shah, (This place used to be called Masjid-i-Holaku, prior to its being turned into a tomb) which bears the date 1450 CE, i.e., the period of Shah-rokh Bahadur Timurid`s reign, constitutes another historical relic of this structure.

Tile work and mirror work, installation of painted doors, carved, inlaid works as well as repairing the shrine and establishing the long minarets beside building facade in the main and other courtyards was done in Qajar era; however, Hazrate Abdolazim (peace be upon him) dome has been covered by golden copper clay and the long minarets established in 1270 Hijri.

Sayyed Amir Ahmad, also known as Shahecheragh, was the noble son of Imam Musa Kazim (a.s). The most important pilgrimage centre of the city of Shiraz is the Mausoleum of Mir Sayyed Ahmad, the son of the seventh Imam known as Shah-e-Cheragh (the Shrine of the lord of the light). Mir Sayyed Ahmad came to Shiraz at the beginning of the third Islamic century, and died there. After the shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad and Fatima in Qum, the third most venerated pilgrimage destination in Iran is the shrine of Shah Cherag in the city of Shiraz.

 Archaeological excavation indicates a settlement on the site of Shiraz in the prehistoric period and cuneiform records from the great ceremonial capital of Persepolis, 57 kilometers to the north, show that it was a significant town in Achaemenian times. As a city however, it was founded in 684 AD, after the Arab armies conquered the Sassanians. The Buyids (945-1055 AD) made Shiraz their capital, building mosques, palaces and a great city wall. The 13th and 14th centuries saw Shiraz as a literary center especially famous for its poets Sa’adi and Hafez, both of whom are buried in the city. There are many splendid Islamic monuments in Shiraz, especially its enormous Safavid mosque, but the most notable religious site is the shrine of Syed Amir Ahmad (also called Ahmad ibn Musa).

During the rule of Atabeg Abū Sa’id Zangi (1130’s CE) of the Zengid dynasty, the chief minister to the monarch by the name of Amir Muqarrab al-din Badr built the tomb chamber, the dome, as well as a colonnaded porch. The mosque remained this way for roughly 200 years before further work was initiated by Queen Tash Khātūn (the mother of Shāh Abū Ishāq Injū) during the years 1344-1349 (745-750 AH). She carried out essential repairs, constructed an edifice, a hall of audience, a fine college, and a tomb for herself on the south side. She also presented a unique Qur’ān of thirty volumes, written in golden Sols characters with gold decoration, in the style of the calligraphist of that period, Yahya Jamali. The date written on the Qur’an indicates that they were written from 1344-1345 (754-746 AH). Nothing now remains of the buildings set up by Queen Tash Khātūn, but the Qur’ans have remained and are preserved in the Pars Museum

One of Tehran’s most attractive shrines, Imamzadeh Saleh provides a photogenic focus to Tajrish Sq with its twin minarets and dome covered in beautiful patterned turquoise tiles: it looks especially stunning towards sunset.

The shrine is tomb of the son of 7^th shia Imams.

The main building was built in 7th and 8th centuries AH. It is a square building of  50 square meters area and the style of its architecture belongs to Ilkhanid period. during Qajar dynasty it was repaired and some parts were added to it. Tiling and the interior painting of holy shrine are in Qajar style.

Cultural equipment such as library, bookstore, appropriate facilities, and parking are available in this shrine area.

Imamzadeh Saleh Shrine is one of the oldest and most famous shrines in Tehran visited by many people every day. According to the ancient inscriptions, the origin of its construction dates back to early 13th century. The main structure includes a large rectangular building with thick walls and spacious interior space. The Iwan is lined with Quranic calligraphies and delicate colorful tiles. There are two-story arcades on both sides of the iwan followed by two tall minarets, and the dome is situated right behind the iwan. There is a wooden box in the interior space that probably has been left from late Safavid or Afsharid dynasties. There is a thick Plane tree in the courtyard of the shrine that is registered as a national heritage. Imamzadeh Saleh shrine was destroyed during Mongols invasion, but it was renovated by people’s donation.