The Holy Precinct |
All roads in Mashhad lead to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza. The Holy Shrine and the surrounding buildings of the Haram-e Motahhar (the Holy Precinct) known collectively as the Astan-e Ghods-e Razavi comprise one of the marvels of the Islamic world. As well as the shrine itself, this large circular walled island in the centre of Mashhad contains two mosques, three museums, 12 eivans or halls (two of them coated entirely with gold), six theological colleges, two main and two lesser courtyards, several libraries, a small post office, a book shop and many other religious and administrative buildings. Beneath the complex is a vast cemetery. |
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The Dome and minarets of the |
Main portal of the |
One of the entrances of the |
Much of the history of the Holy Shrine is directly linked to the rise of Mashhad. The original tomb chamber of Imam Reza was built by the Caliph Harun al-Rashid in the early 9th century, but later destroyed, restored and destroyed again and the present structure in the centre of the complex was built under the orders of Shah Abbas I at the beginning of the 17th century. A large golden dome covers the Shrine. Architecturally more impressive than the Holy Shrine is the Gohar Shad Mosque or Great Mosque of Gohar Shad, with its 50m blue dome. Constructed between 1405 and 1418 by the Shirazi architect Qavam od-Din for Gohar Shad, the wife of Shah Rokh (1405-1447), it has four eivans and two minarets, and is remarkable in every aspect of its construction and decoration. The finesse of the motifs, the elegance of the calligraphy, the alternate use of matt and glazed bricks and particularly the harmony of the whole, reflect the genius of the architect. | ||
Samples of the mosaic |
Gohar Shad Mosque |
Samples of the mosaic |
The Muze-ye Moghaddas or Holy Museum houses a 16th century gold bas-relief door originally belonging to the Holy Shrine. A recent addition is the Carpet of the Seven Beloved Cities, which is said to have taken 10,000 weavers 14 years to make, and has a staggering 30 million knots. *** There are several other interesting buildings in Mashhad outside the Holy Precinct and the Gombad-e Sabz (the Green Dome) is probably Mashhad's most interesting and best preserved building. Built during the Safavid period, it contains the tomb of the Sufi sheikh, Mohammed Hakim Mo'men, author of a famous book on medicine. |
Mashhad (Khorassan Province) |
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Copyright© 2000 K. Kianush, Art Arena