An Imāmzādeh is a word found in both the Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

 and Urdu

Urdu

Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

 languages, that refers to an immediate descendant of a Shi'a Imam.

Imamzadeh means “offspring” or descendent of an imam. There are many other different ways of spelling this term. Some of these are imamzada, imamzadah, and emamzadah. These all have the same meanings.

Imamzadeh is also a term for a shrine-tomb of the descendents of Shi’i imams that are directly related to the Prophet Muhammad. These shrines are only for the descendants of imams and they are not for imams themselves. Imamzadehs are also sayyids, though not all sayyids are considered imamzadehs. These shrine-tombs are used as centers of Shi’i devotion and pilgrimages. These shrine-tombs are also believed to have miraculous properties and the ability to heal. Many of these are located in Iraq, Medina, and Iran. There are many important imamzadehs. Two of these are Fatima al-Masumah, the sister of Imam Ali ar-Rida the eighth imam, and Zaynab

Zaynab

Zainab may refer to:* Zaynab , Egyptian novel*Zaynab...

, the daughter of Ali

Ali

' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...

 ibn Abi Talib, considered by Shi'a Muslims to be the first Shi'i imam, and by Sunni Muslims as the fourth Rashid Caliph. Imamzadehs are not traditionally women.

From early times Muslims made pilgrimages to the tombs of holy men. These pilgrimages include these imamzadehs. It has been advised for Muslims to visit the tombs that have been identified to show them the honor that they deserve. Many people visit the imamzadehs that are relatively close to them. There are also special ziyarat-namas (pilgrimages) for many of the imamzadehs. Some of these pilgrimages even happen annually during the certain time of year. Some of the imamzadehs are not as well kept as others. According to Reinisch an imamzadeh that he saw was mostly in ruins, though it is still important.

Imamzadeh's

• Imamzadeh Hamzah, Tabriz
• Imamzadeh Ja'far, Borujerd
  Imamzadeh Ja'far, Borujerd
  Imāmzādeh Ja‘far is a historical mausoleum in Borujerd, western Iran. The tomb contains the remains of Abulqāsim Ja’far ibn al-Husayn, grandson of the Shī‘ah Imam Ali ibn Hussayn.-History:...
  
  
• Imamzadeh Saleh, Shemiran
• Imamzadeh Sultan Mutahhar
  Imamzadeh Sultan Mutahhar
  Imamzadeh Sultan Mutahhar is an historical mausoleum in the city of Rudehen in Tehran Province.Located in the Bumehen neighborhood of Roudehen, the current structure was rebuilt in the 15th century and contains the tomb of the murdered son of Jafar as Sadiq, the 6th Shia Imam....
  
  
• Mashhad-e Ardehal
  Mashhad-e Ardehal
  Mashhad-e Ardehal is a village in Isfahan Province, Iran. It is located 40-45km east of the city of Kashan. The village contains the burial site of Sultan Ali and the notable modern Persian poet and painter Sohrab Sepehri and is known for its annual Carpet Washing Ceremony...
  
  
• Shāh Abdol Azīm
• Shāh Chérāgh
  Shah Cheragh
  Shāh Chérāgh is a funerary monument and mosque in Shiraz, Iran, housing the tomb of the brothers Ahmad and Muhammad, sons of Mūsā al-Kādhim and brothers of ‘Alī ar-Ridhā...
  
  

See also

• Sayyid
  Sayyid
  Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
  
  
• 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...
  
  
• Ziyarat
  Ziyarat
  Ziyārah is an Arabic term literally means "visit", used to refer to a pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants , his companions, or other venerated figures in Islām, such as the Prophets, Sufi saints and Islāmic scholars...
  
  
• Iranian architecture
  Iranian architecture
  Iranian architecture or Persian architecture is the architecture of Iran . It has a continuous history from at least 5000 BCE to the present, with characteristic examples distributed over a vast area from Turkey to North India and the borders of China and from the Caucasus to Zanzibar...