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Shrine of Imam Raza in Mashhad

 

Mashhad lies in Khorasan province and it is in the North East of Iran at the altitude of 985 meters. The city of Mashhad is strongly associated with this 8th Shia Imam and hence it’s name Mashhad al-Raza suggests. 

Shirazi Street leading to the Shrine of Imam Raza in Mashhad
A very busy parking area close to the shrine of Imam Raza
There is a large roundabout in front of the entrance to shrine
Wall to the left is entrance to the Shrine of Imam Raza which then leads into a courtyrad followed by another courtyard
Buses bring pilgrims to this holy site and it is one of the most visited place in Iran and it gets very busy on Fridays
A walk way leading to the shrine of Imam Raza

History 

The holy Shrine of Imam Raza in Mashhad is locally known as as Harm-e Mutahar. Imam Ali Raza was son of Imam Musa al-Kazim (7th Shia Imam). Initially, Imam Raza was named as a successor to al-Mamun but later he changed his mind and ended up taking the life of this holy man. 

Imam Raza was poisoned by the orders of Abbasid Caliph al-Mamum on 26 May, 818. 

Dome and minarets of the Goharshad Mosque can be seen behind the wall in this photo
This is one of the main entrances of the shrine complex
Pilgrims passing in front of the entrance to the shrine
This is the minaret from the inner courtyard of the shrine
I used telephoto lens to take this photo ( the closest I could get), cameras were not allowed inside
Motifs a above the entry door

 

The Mongol invaders destroyed this shrine but it was rebuilt once more. During the reign of Shahrukh Mirza ( son of Tamerlane) paid much attention to this site and prosperity returned to this city once again. 

This shrine has many entrances and each entrance has separate doors for men and women and people will be allowed after a short security search. Shrine of Imam al-Raza (A.S.) is a massive building complex and it offers array of free services to it’s visitors. 

Door of the second courtyard
This door is between the inner and outer courtyard and it is decorated with the Persian tiles
Golden minarets of the Imam Ali Raza's Shrine
Blue minaret of the mosque
A tourist office on a street leading to the Shrine of Imam Raza
A smaller entrance of the shrine was located towards the museum side of the complex

 

The shrine complex includes nine courtyards (Sahn), twenty-six porches (Riwaq), the Gowhar shad Mosque, Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, Islamic Research Foundation, Museums, the Central Library Complex, Offices, Hospital, Inn and the buildings for performing ablutions.

This is one of the six museums built inside (or attached) to the Holy Shrine
It started to snow with a strong wind and things got very cold
The weather had made my wandering around in the city cut short