Mashad
Mashhad
Mashhad is the second most populous and the most religious city in Iran and capital of Razavi Khorasan Province. It is located in the northeast of the country, close to the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.
It was a major oasis along the ancient Silk Road connecting with Merv in the East.
The city is most famous and revered for housing the tomb of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Imam Reza shrine and pay their tributes to Imam Reza.
ity’s economy is based mainly on dry fruits, salted nuts, saffron, Iranian sweets like gaz and sohaan, precious stones like agates, turquoise, intricately designed silver jewelry studded with rubies and emeralds, eighteen carat gold jewelry, perfumes, religious souvenirs, trench coats, scarves, termeh, carpets and rugs.
You need at least 1 day to visit Mashhad
Mashhad has a complex which contains the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Twelver Shias. It is the largest mosque in the world by area. Also contained within the complex are 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.
more than 25 million Iranian and non-Iranian Shias visiting the shrine each year.
Goharshad Mosque,
This mosque was constructed by Goharshad (the wife of Shahrokh Teimoori), in 1418 a.c. This mosque has a large courtyard in the center with four porticos. Beautiful inscriptions in Thulth script (the work of Shahrokh’s son) adorn the walls. The most important section of this mosque is its southern portico.
In bombardments of the Russian forces in 1912 a.c . the main dome of this mosque which was 15m. in dia. sustained a loss. This dome was demolished in the year 1921 a.c , The current dome has been constructed with concrete. This mosque has gone under repair once during the Safavid reign and the other in the Qajar era.
Nader Shah Afshar (August 1688[5] – 19 June 1747) was one of the most powerful Iranian rulers in Iranian history, ruling as Shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747 when he was assassinated during a rebellion. Because of his military genius as evidenced in his numerous campaigns throughout Middle East, Caucasus, Central and South Asia, such as the battles of Herat, Mihmandust, Murche-Khort, Kirkuk, Yeghevard, Khyber Pass, Karnal and Kars, some historians have described him as the Napoleon of Persia, Sword of Persia or the Second Alexander. Nader belonged to the Turkoman Afshar tribe, a semi-nomadic tribe settled in Khorasan in northeastern Iran, which had supplied military power to the Safavid dynasty since the time of Shah Ismail.
Abul-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi or just Ferdowsi was a Persian poet and the author of Shahnameh (“Book of Kings”), which is one of the world’s longest epic poems created by a single poet, and the national epic of Greater Iran. Ferdowsi is celebrated as one of the most influential figures of Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.
The tomb was built in 1934 in Pahlavi period.
Haruniyeh is an unknown and mysterious monuments and the only monument remaining from the ancient Tus City. This monument is 20 kilometers from the North West of Mashad .
The interior space includes the porch entrance, four daises, dome and three minor rooms and all these parts are seen in public. In the exterior space, there is a small memorandum tombstone from Imam Mohammad Ghazali and a big rectangular garden is also built in front of Haruniyeh Porch according to the plans and designs. There are different ideas about the date of Haruniyeh construction and it dates back to about eighth and seventh Hijri centuries and even to the time before that. Some recognize it a monastery and teaching place of Imam Mohammad Ghazali that was built before the attack of Mongols. Some others call the monument the prison of Harun.
A tower-like building of 17 meters high can be seen 20 kilometers from the northern part of Mashhad and on the borders of Tus Road that according to some people, a great battle was taken place between the previous governors of Khorasan and Sultan Mahmoud Ghaznavi. The architectural plan of the rod dates back to Timurid era and the Nineth Hijri century.
This tower is a tomb which is located on an eight half-sided circular platform