Mausoleum of Saadi - Shiraz
Early Life of Saadi
Saadi was buried inside a village just outside Shiraz but now it is part of the city. The mausoleum of Saadi is also known as Sadiyeh. His full name was Abu-Muhammad Muslih al-Din bin Abdallah Shirazi, to many he is known as Sheikh Saadi or Saadi Shirazi.
This famous Iranian poet was born in Shiraz in 1210, in his early days, he faced poverty and struggle and he left for Baghdad to pursue a better education. Saadi spent almost 30 years in wondering in desolate places, during this time he met many people who fled from the Mongol invasion.
Travel
The countries and places Saadi visited during his travel were Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Pakistan, India, China and Saudi Arabia to mention few. In Palestine, Saadi was captured by Crusaders at Acre where he spent seven years as a slave digging trenches outside its fortress. He was later released after the Mamluks paid ransom for Muslim prisoners being held in Crusader dungeons.
Work
Walls around the grave of Saadi are adorned with his poetic work. One side of the wall has an abstract from his famous book Bostan (Bustan), this book was completed in 1257. In Bostan, Saadi includes the accounts of his travel and his interaction with other people and their psychology. Gulistan (the Rose Garden) is one of Saadi’s masterpieces, he wrote this book in 1258.
The current building is from the 18th century and it was built during the Karim Khan Zand’s rule. The Mausoleum of Saadi is located inside a garden where beautiful flowers and several cypress trees are planted.
Poem of Saadi at the UNO building
There is a poem of Saadi written on top of the entrance of the United Nations building, it reads;
The sons of Adam are limbs of each other,
Having been created of one essence.
When the calamity of time affects one limb
The other limbs cannot remain at rest.
If you have no sympathy for the troubles of others,
You are unworthy to be called by the name of a Human.
In Persian Language;
Bani aadam aazaye yek digarand
ke dar aafarinesh ze yek gooharand
cho ozvi be dard aavarad roozegaar
degar ozvhaa raa namaanad gharaar
to kaz mehnate digaraan bi ghami
nashaayad ke naamat nahand aadami
This famous Iranian son passed away on 9 December 1291 and he is well remembered for his philosophical quotes. Mausoleum of Saadi is a popular place for the locals to pay their respect to this great poet.
At the end of the colonnade portico lies the grave of another famous poet from Shiraz, Shoorideh Shirazi. A fish pond is located close to the Saadi’s tomb which can be reached by going down few steps. Sometimes, people throw coins inside the pond in a common belief that their wich will be granted. I saw some fish swimming in the pond, maybe they are handle the requests.
