Tourism Information of Mashhad
Mashhad city is the capital of Khorasan-e Razavī ostāan (province), northeastern Iran. As the burial place of Imam Reza, the eighth imam in Twelver Shiʿism, Mashhad is an important pilgrimage site. in the ninth century, the eighth Shi'ite Imam Ali Bin Moosa Al Reza, the great-grandson of Imam Ali who was the cousin & son in law of Prophet Mohammad was poisoned by the jealous caliph of the time. Imam Reza was buried in Mashhad, and his shrine became one of the holiest sites to the Shi'ite Muslims after the Holy Kaaba in Saudi Arabia and Karbala in Iraq. Also, as the easternmost of Iran’s major cities, Mashhad is a hub for trade with the countries that border Iran to the east.
Mashhad has the second largest population in Iran—after Tehran, the national capital. Tourists and pilgrims add to the number of people in the city, as do refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan. Pop. (2016) 3,001,184.
Mashhad has a semidesert climate. Winters are cool to cold, springs and autumns are mild, and summers are hot.
Ferdowsi is the creator of Shahnameh, the masterpiece of Persian epic, a book which defined the identity of the Persian culture. When he passed away, they did not permit to bury him in the cemetery because he believed in Shia school of Islam, so it was forced to bury him in his own garden in Tus near Mashhad. His tomb has always been famous among those who were interested in poetry. Although his tomb was destroyed many times, it was rebuilt again and again by those who loved him. His current tomb was built during Reza Shah according to architectural style of Achaemenid era. Beautiful white marble stone made a nice place as Ferdowsi mausoleum. Visiting there, you would definitely notice some of his magnificent poems inscribed on the walls. With all these features, Ferdowsi Tomb resembles the tomb of Cyrus the Great. A nice pool reflecting the sun light locating in front of the tomb makes the place more delightful. A statue of Ferdowsi is also installed there to honor his effort in giving life to Persian language.
With more than 12 million visitors per year, Imam Reza Holy Shrine is one of the most important most visited attractions of Iran. It is like a castle of light in the heart of Mashhad, Iran. It is mainly known for the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Twelver Shiites; but it’s certainly more. You don’t have to be religious to visit this place. With its libraries, museums, research centers, seminaries, and outstanding architecture, this complex is one of the largest cultural centers of Iran and Islam. Imam Reza was the eighth Imam of Shia (one of the two main branches in Islam) and one of the descendants of Prophet Muhammad. He lived from 765 to 818 during Abbasid Caliphs (an Islamic steward). Based on the Shia point of view, the Caliph Al-Mammon had faced numerous problems. As Imam Reza was a popular figure in that time, Al-Mammon summoned Imam Reza to the capital city of Tus (the former name of Mashhad), to be his successor. Nevertheless, Imam Reza gained more popularity than the Caliphs. So, Al-Mammon decided to eliminate him by poisoning him. Imam Reza was buried in one of the villages near Tus, in Khorasan Province. Later, this village’s name was changed to Mashhad, which means “the place of martyrdom”. Today, Mashhad is one of the largest, most populated, and important cities in Iran. With nine courtyards (Sahn), twenty-eight Halls (Ravvaq), libraries, mosques, museums, and so on, Imam Reza Holy Shrine covers an area of more than 598,657 square meters in the center of Mashhad city. This complex has a long story and it hasn’t had this current look from the beginning. During five dynasties and over more than 2800 years, it experiences fundamental changes and structures.
Nader Shah was the last conqueror of Afsharid dynasty. He was a powerful and influential king throughout Iran’s history. When he was alive, he ordered to build a small tomb across from the holy shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad. They constructed the tomb with mud and brick. After his assassination, he was buried in that place, then in Qajar period, they built a new tomb for him to honor his effort. Nader Shah Tomb is the second most important attraction of Mashhad. Before you enter the tomb, you would be amazed by a statue of Nader Shah locating on the entrance path, he is riding a horse and has an axe in his hands and three soldiers are following him. In addition to his tomb, a book shop and two museum halls are located there to make your visit more enjoyable. In one of the museum halls, you could observe many different weapons and in the other one, you could take a time trip by looking at objects which were used by Nader Shah.
Nader Shah is the founder of the Afsharid Dynasty (1736–1796). Nader was a Turkoman from the Afshar tribe. They were a semi-nomadic tribe settled in Khorasan northeastern part of Persia. He managed to rise to power using the chaos of Iran during the last days of the Safavid Dynasty. Through his campaigns, he turned into the most powerful sovereign of West Asia. The historians gave Nader Shah titles like “the Second Alexander”, “Sword of Persia”, and “the Napoleon of Persia”.