Imam Reza shrine
Encyclopedia
Imām Reza shrine in Mashhad
, Iran
is a complex which contains the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imām
of Twelver Shi'ites. It is the largest mosque in the world by dimension and the second largest in capacity. Also contained within the complex include: the Goharshad Mosque
, a museum, a library, four seminaries, a cemetery, the Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, a dining hall for pilgrims, vast prayer halls, and other buildings.
This complex is the center of tourism in Iran. The shrine itself covers an area of 267,079m2 while the seven courtyards which surround it cover an area of 331,578m2 - totaling 598657 m² (715,987.8 sq yd).
and was buried beside the grave of Harun.
After this event this place was called as Mashhad al-Rida (the place of martyrdom of Ali al-Rida
). Shias and sunnis started visiting there for pilgrimage
of his grave. By the end of the 9th century a dome was built on the grave and many buildings and Bazaars sprang up around it. During more than a millennium it has been devastated and reconstructed several times.
In 993 the holy shrine was ruined by Saboktakin
, a Ghaznavid king. However in 1009 his son Sultan
Mahmood Ghaznavi
ordered the shrine to be repaired and expanded. About 1150 Sultan
Sanjar, a Seljuq
king, renovated the sanctuary and added new buildings after miraculous healing of his son in the shrine. Later Sultan Muhammad Khodabande, an Ilkhanate
king, who converted to Shiism renovated the holy shrine about 1310. The celebrated Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta
visited Mashhad in 1333 and reported that it was a large town with abundant fruit trees, streams and mills. A great dome of elegant construction surmounts the noble mausoleum, the walls being decorated with colored tiles. Opposite the tomb of the Imam is the tomb of Caliph Harun al-Rashid
, which is surmounted by a platform bearing chandeliers.
In the 15th century, during the Shahrokh
era, it became one of the main cities of the Timurid dynasty
. In 1418 his wife Goharshad
funded the construction of an outstanding mosque
beside the shrine, which is known as the Goharshad Mosque
.
The shrine is depicted on the reverse
of the Iranian 100 rials
coin, issued since 2004.
Courtyards (Sahn
The complex contains a total of seven courtyards, which cover an area of over331578 m² (396,564 sq yd):
The courtyards also contain a total of 14 minarets, and 3 fountains.
The Bast hallways lead towards a total of 21 internal halls (Riwaq
) which surround the burial chamber of Ali al-Ridha. Adjacent to the burial chamber is also a mosque dating back to the 10th century known as, Bala-e-Sar Mosque.
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
is a complex which contains the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imām
Twelve Imams
The Twelve Imams are the spiritual and political successors to Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, in the Twelver or Ithna-‘ashariyyah branch of Shī‘ah Islam....
of Twelver Shi'ites. It is the largest mosque in the world by dimension and the second largest in capacity. Also contained within the complex include: the Goharshad Mosque
Goharshad Mosque
Goharshad Mosque is a former free standing mosque in Mashhad of the Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, which now serves as one of the prayer halls within the Imam Reza shrine complex....
, a museum, a library, four seminaries, a cemetery, the Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, a dining hall for pilgrims, vast prayer halls, and other buildings.
This complex is the center of tourism in Iran. The shrine itself covers an area of 267,079m2 while the seven courtyards which surround it cover an area of 331,578m2 - totaling 598657 m² (715,987.8 sq yd).
History
In 818 Imam Reza was murdered by Al-Ma'munAl-Ma'mun
Abū Jaʿfar Abdullāh al-Māʾmūn ibn Harūn was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 813 until his death in 833...
and was buried beside the grave of Harun.
After this event this place was called as Mashhad al-Rida (the place of martyrdom of Ali al-Rida
Ali al-Rida
‘Alī ibn Mūsā al-Rizā was the seventh descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the eighth of the Twelve Imams, according to Shia sect of Islam...
). Shias and sunnis started visiting there for pilgrimage
Ziarat
Ziarat is the capital of Ziarat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located at 30°22'47N 67°43'38E with an altitude of 2543 metres and is a famous holiday resort of Balochistan and nearly every trip from Karachi to Quetta stops at Ziarat...
of his grave. By the end of the 9th century a dome was built on the grave and many buildings and Bazaars sprang up around it. During more than a millennium it has been devastated and reconstructed several times.
In 993 the holy shrine was ruined by Saboktakin
Sebük Tigin
Abu Mansur Sabuktigin , also spelled as Sabuktagin, Sabuktakin, Sebüktegin and Sebük Tigin, is generally regarded by historians as the founder of the Ghaznavid Empire...
, a Ghaznavid king. However in 1009 his son Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Mahmood Ghaznavi
Mahmud of Ghazni
Mahmud of Ghazni , actually ', was the most prominent ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty who ruled from 997 until his death in 1030 in the eastern Iranian lands. Mahmud turned the former provincial city of Ghazni into the wealthy capital of an extensive empire which covered most of today's Iran,...
ordered the shrine to be repaired and expanded. About 1150 Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Sanjar, a Seljuq
Seljuq dynasty
The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries...
king, renovated the sanctuary and added new buildings after miraculous healing of his son in the shrine. Later Sultan Muhammad Khodabande, an Ilkhanate
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
king, who converted to Shiism renovated the holy shrine about 1310. The celebrated Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta
Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta , or simply Ibn Battuta, also known as Shams ad–Din , was a Muslim Moroccan Berber explorer, known for his extensive travels published in the Rihla...
visited Mashhad in 1333 and reported that it was a large town with abundant fruit trees, streams and mills. A great dome of elegant construction surmounts the noble mausoleum, the walls being decorated with colored tiles. Opposite the tomb of the Imam is the tomb of Caliph Harun al-Rashid
Harun al-Rashid
Hārūn al-Rashīd was the fifth Arab Abbasid Caliph in Iraq. He was born in Rey, Iran, close to modern Tehran. His birth date remains a point of discussion, though, as various sources give the dates from 763 to 766)....
, which is surmounted by a platform bearing chandeliers.
In the 15th century, during the Shahrokh
Shahrokh
Shahrokh, Shahrukh, or Shah Rukh is the name of a mythological bird in Iranian literature. It is built of two parts: Shah meaning a king, and Rukh , who is the greatest bird on the earth as big as a cloud. In the One Thousand and One Nights stories, Rukh helps Sinbad escape from a dangerous island...
era, it became one of the main cities of the Timurid dynasty
Timurid Dynasty
The Timurids , self-designated Gurkānī , were a Persianate, Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turko-Mongol descent whose empire included the whole of Iran, modern Afghanistan, and modern Uzbekistan, as well as large parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the...
. In 1418 his wife Goharshad
Goharshad
Goharshād was a wife of Shāh Rukh, the emperor of the Timurid Dynasty of Herāt. She was the daughter of Giāth ud-Din Tarkhān, an important and influential noble during Tīmur's reign...
funded the construction of an outstanding mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
beside the shrine, which is known as the Goharshad Mosque
Goharshad Mosque
Goharshad Mosque is a former free standing mosque in Mashhad of the Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, which now serves as one of the prayer halls within the Imam Reza shrine complex....
.
The shrine is depicted on the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
of the Iranian 100 rials
Iranian rial
The rial is the currency of Iran. It is subdivided into 100 dinar but, because of the very low current value of the rial, no fraction of the rial is used in accounting....
coin, issued since 2004.
Courtyards (SahnSahnA sahn , in Islamic architecture, is a courtyard. As per the traditional Islamic architectural style, almost every mosque has a sahn, which is surrounded by an arcade from all sides. In Persian architecture, the sahn usually contains a howz, a symmetrical pool, where ablutions are performed...
)
The complex contains a total of seven courtyards, which cover an area of over331578 m² (396,564 sq yd):
- Sahn Inqilab - Revolution Courtyard
- Sahn Azadi - Freedom Courtyard
- Sahn Imam Khomeini
- Sahn Gowharshad Mosque
- Sahn Quds
- Sahn Jumhuri Islami - Islamic Republic Courtyard
- Sahn Jameh Razavi - The Razavi Grand Courtyard
- Sahn Gadeer.
The courtyards also contain a total of 14 minarets, and 3 fountains.
Halls
From the courtyards, external hallways named after scholars lead to the inner areas of the mosque. They are referred to as Bast (Sanctuary), since they were meant to be a safeguard for the shrine areas:- Bast Shaykh ToosiShaykh TusiShaykh Tusi , full name: Abu Jafar Muhammad Ibn Hassan Tusi , known as Shaykh al-Taʾifah was a prominent Persian scholar of the Shi'a Twelver Islamic belief.-Birth:...
- leads to the Central Library - Bast Shaykh TabarsiShaykh Tabarsi', or more correctly the Shrine of Shaykh Tabarsí, was the location of a battle between the forces of the Shah of Persia and the Bábís, followers of the Báb over the period October 10, 1848 to May 10, 1849 when the prince resorted to a plan of betrayal to capture the remaining Bábís...
- Bast Shaykh Hur AmeliShaikh al-Hur al-AamiliMuhammad bin al-Ḥassan b. Ali b. al-Ḥusayn al-ʿĀmili al-Mashghari , commonly known as Al-Ḥurr Al-ʿĀmili , was a muhaddith and a prominent Twelver Shi’a scholar of the Akhbari school of thought...
- Bast Shaykh Baha'iBaha' ad-Din al-`AmiliBahāʾ al‐Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ḥusayn al‐ʿĀmilī was a scholar, philosopher, architect, mathematician, astronomer and a poet in 16th-century Iran. He was born in Baalbek, Lebanon but immigrated in his childhood to Safavid Iran with his father...
The Bast hallways lead towards a total of 21 internal halls (Riwaq
Riwaq
A riwaq is an arcade or portico open on at least one side. Such structures are built in Iran and other Islamic countries, mostly in the bazaars or mosques....
) which surround the burial chamber of Ali al-Ridha. Adjacent to the burial chamber is also a mosque dating back to the 10th century known as, Bala-e-Sar Mosque.
See also
- Imam Ridha
- Holiest sites in Islam (Shia)Holiest sites in Islam (Shia)In addition to the three Mosques accepted by all Muslims as holy sites, Shī'ah Muslims consider sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants , their companions, and the Prophets as holy places...
- Fatimah al-Ma'sūmah MosqueFatima al-Masumeh ShrineThe shrine of Fatema Mæ'sume is located in Qom, the second most sacred city in Iran after Mashhad. Much of the shrine complex was first built by Shah Abbas I in the early 17th century. The shrine has attracted to itself dozens of seminaries and religious schools...
- Shāh Abdol Azīm Mosque
- Astan Quds RazaviAstan Quds RazaviAstan Quds Razavi is a Bonyad, or autonomous charitable foundation, in Mashhad, Iran. It is the administrative organization which manage Imam Reza shrine and institutions belonging to the organization....
- Goharshad MosqueGoharshad MosqueGoharshad Mosque is a former free standing mosque in Mashhad of the Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, which now serves as one of the prayer halls within the Imam Reza shrine complex....
External links
- http://www.aqrazavi.org/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=35&pid=10
- Mashhad, Iran
- 3D Holy Shrine of Imam Reza
- ArchNet,Imam Reza Shrine Complex
- E-pilgrFile: Imam Reza Calling You!
- The Holiest of Shrines: The Astan Quds Razavi; Report of an American tourist
- Square Kufic decoration on the Imām Ridhā shrine
- http://www.al-islam.org/kaaba14/11.htm
- http://www.imamreza.net/eng/