MASHHAD

Capital of the immense Province of Khorassan and also for a time of the whole of Iran, Mashhad is situated in the Kashaf Rud (Tortoise River) valley, a tributary of Hari Rud, between the Binalud and Hazar Masjid mountains in a rich agricultural region. Covering an area of 204 square kilometers, it has for centuries been an important trade centre and junction point on caravan routes and highways from India to Iran and from north to south between Turkistan towns and Sea of Oman. Although much of Khorassan is mountainous, there are many fertile valleys, and the province produces large quantities of fruit, nuts, sugar-beet cotton, and a variety of industrial products, particularly in the area of car manufacturing industry.

Located in an altitude of 985 m above sea level, Mashhad as the country's second largest town, is connected to Tehran by two roads (875 km, southern and 925 km, northern), railway and air. It occupies a position in the northeast of the country very similar to that of Tabriz in the northwest. Both cities, besides being relatively close to the frontiers, stand on what have often proved to be invasion routes. In consequence, Mashhad, like Tabriz, has frequently been attacked and sometimes captured by hostile forces. Actually, the whole province of Khorassan has been the funnel through which armies have passed from time immemorial. Mashhad is also known as a centre of Shi'ite pilgrimage.

Arriving by plane the first view of the city is that of a very green and well-laid regular rows of trees. Once on the ground, the traveler is fascinated by the golden cupolas and minarets. It is interesting to know that the word of Mashhad - or more correctly Mashhad-e Moqaddas (Mashhad the Holy) - literally means place of martyrdom (or place of burial of a martyr).

Mashhad, with more than two million inhabitants is the third most interesting tourist pole of Iran after Esfahan and Shiraz. By Iranian standards, it is not an old town, although its northeastern quarter stands on the site of Nauqan and Sanabad, (of considerable antiquity).

Although it had always attracted pilgrims, Mashhad did not become a pilgrimage centre of the first order until the coming of the Safavid dynasty at the turn of the 16^th century. Having established Shi'ism as the state religion, the most brilliant of the Safavid rulers, Shah Ismail I, Shah Tahmasp and Shah Abbas I, gave the city and shrine the place they have held ever since on the Shiite map, frequently making pilgrimages there themselves and generously endowing the sacred complex.

Nowadays, apart from being the holiest city of Shi'ite Iran, Mashhad can boast of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world, including Yemenis, Iraqis, Indians, but primarily Afghans and Pakistanis, the two latter comprising on that account alone the vast majority of all foreign tourists in the region.

Shrine of Imam Reza

Mashhad grew around the legendary martyrdom of Imam Reza, and the city's history is inextricably linked with that of his Shrine. According to popular belief, Imam Reza, heir to the Abbasid Caliphate as well as eighth of the Shiite Imams, died in what was then the village of Sanabad in 817 AD after eating some grapes. The story spread that he had been poisoned on the orders of the Caliph Ma'mum after having in some way arousing his enmity. Whatever the truth, Ma'mum buried him in a tower in Sanabad next to the tomb of his own father, the famous Harun or-Rashid, and in time this burial place began to attract Shi'ite pilgrims. What had been a small village grew around the Shrine into small town, later known as Mashhad, but for many centuries its development was slow and until much later it remained a pilgrimage center of only regional importance.

Because of its incalculable importance to Iranians, on the Imam Reza's tomb ahs been lavished the patronage and wealth of kings and princes. However, since the ninth century it has been ravaged and almost destroyed many times - but reconstructions and additions have occurred even more frequently.

Much of the original 9^th century shrine over the Imam's grave was destroyed in the following century; it was rebuilt by Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni in 1009, but severely damaged by the Mongols in the 12^th century. However, even in the dark years of the Mongol era, Mashhad developed enough to become capital of Khorassan in the 15^th century, in succession to the nearby town of Tus, and the mausoleum of Imam Reza was restored in the early 14^th century.

In the early 15^th century Shahrokh, son of Tamerlane, enlarged the shrine, his extraordinary wife Gowharshad commissioned a mosque on the site. Even under his remarkable reign the city was troubled by Uzbek invasions, and the population fell dramatically.

Despite its new-found importance, Mashhad's location put it at constant risk of invasion, and it was attacked on several occasions in the 16^th and 17^th centuries by the Uzbeks (although they respected the shrine enough to leave it unscathed), and by the Afghans in 1722. In the early 18^th century the shrine was firmly established as the greatest of the Shi'ite pilgrimage centres in Iran, and Nader Shah, although a Sunni of missionary zeal, generously endowed the shrine and restored Mashhad to stability. Eventually he was himself buried in the city.

Several uprisings here in the 19^th century were severely put down by the ruling Qajars, but Mashhad returned to peace under the reign of Nasser od-Din Shah, who built the ring road, and under the present regime its continuing importance, in economic and religious matters, remains secure. In March 1912 the Russians shelled the shrine; it was later said that the fall of Tsarism was the consequence of this act of sacrilege.

A characteristic feature of the complex are numerous courts of sahns, saqqa khaneh (place of kettle drums), the clock, the Imam's Tomb, dar ol-hoffaz (reciters' place), Al-lahverdi Khan dome, the golden dome, University of Islamic Sciences, Astan-e Qodss Library, a clinic, a safe, office of endowments, a guest house, an ablutions place, shoe keepers, and its (golden) minarets with specific design and orientation. In addition to this, a number of well-known Iranian and foreign scholars and scientists have been allowed to be buried in the precinct's yard as well as around the town.

However, the Shrine of Imam Reza and the surrounding buildings do together comprise one of the marvels of the Islamic world. Under certain constrains it is perfectly possible even for the non-Muslim to visit it; going to Iran and not doing so is a little like going to Italy and missing Vatican. Little else need detain you long, but a day or two here will not be wasted. The shrine itself is strictly closed to non-Muslims (save under exceptional circumstances with the special permission of the religious authorities, applied for through the Tourist Office), but it is not generally a problem to visit the rest of the complex, so long as you don't try to enter any of the buildings. You will have to dress extremely conservatively and behave yourself impeccably, and you should avoid visiting during large religious gatherings or in the main pilgrimage season (late June to mid July).

As you might expect, all roads in Mashhad lead to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza. Almost everything of interest is within walking distance of this most unmistakable of landmarks, and all the public transport radiates from the ring road which delineates it. The result of so much royal and private benefaction is, to quote A U Pope, that "perhaps there is no other group of buildings in the world which give such an effect of opulence. A gold dome, two gold minarets, two huge gold ivans, massive silver and gilt doors." But the desire to embellish and modernize has not always been for the best; in particular much beautiful tilework has been sacrificed in favour of gaudy mirror-work.

Gowharshad Mosque

Grand Mosque of Gowharshad (Masjid-e Azim-e Gowharshad) with its 50-meter high faience dome and cavernous golden portal, is located immediately to the south of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza square and is architecturally perhaps even more important than the mausoleum. Queen of a mighty empire, wife of Tamerlane's eldest son Shahrokh, patron of the arts and powerful personality in her own right, Gowharshad was one of the most remarkable women of Islamic history. Although most of her major architectural commissions were at her capital Herat, this mosque in Mashhad is the best preserved testament to her genius. She built this beautiful mosque between 1405 and 1418: though within the shrine's precincts it is technically and legally separate. It covers an area of 9419 square meters, and has two beautiful minarets each 40 meters high. An inscription can be seen on the margin of the ivan portal, which was partially made upon the orders of well-known Timurid prince called Baysonqor Mirza. Also there is a pulpit of walnut wood here, which has been made without making use of any nail or iron pieces. Sir Percy Sykes, soldier, diplomat and historian, describes it as "the noblest mosque in Central Asia", and A U Pope as "the first and the greatest surviving Persian monument of the 15^th century." The facade of its four-ivan court is decorated with brilliant mosaic tiling of the highest quality; the two stories of the arcaded rooms round the court are used for religious teaching and gathering. Behind the ivan can be see the Shrine's golden dome and the two superb minarets.

Parks of Mashhad

Four of the most interesting and beautiful parks of Mashhad are: 1) Mellat Park, to the west of the town alongside the north of Vakil Abad Boulevard (take bus lines 17, 18, or 19 from Shohada Square). It covers an area of 720,000 square meters and is equipped with all sorts of recreational facilities, a mosque, and a nice pool. 2) Vakil Abad Park, 8 km to the south east of the town, through which a qanat with drinking water is gently flowing (take bus lines 17, 18 or 19 from Shohada Square). 3) Kuh Sangui Park, on the foothills of southern mountains of Mashhad, and in Dr Shari'ati Avenue (take bus line 6 from the south of Haram Square). It is equipped with a large pool and a restaurant. 4) Mirza Kuchak Khan-e Jangali Park, in the east of Danesh Street, and the south of Bazaar-e Reza (17^th Shahrivar Square). In the park, there is a swimming pool, recreational facilities, and a library for children and young adolescents.

Bazaars of Mashhad

Mashhad has three bazaars. The biggest, the two storied Bazaar-e Reza (or Bazaar-e Bozorg), is 800 m long, 30 m wide, and one of the main shopping centres in the town. The crafts of Khorassan are all represented in the bazaar. All kinds of local souvenirs such as fur-cloak, turquoise, Carnelian ring, gold, perfume, saffron, pelisse, prayer-mat, and rosary may be found here besides a myriad of foreign articles. There are several escalators in the Bazaar, which take the visitors to the second floor. The bazaar has two gates: one in Bayt ol-Moqaddas Square and the other in the 17^th Shahrivar Square. The next shopping centre is called Sara-ye Bazaar-e Reza, where products such as embroidery, knitwear, shoes, etc, are sold. The third bazaar, called the Kuwaiti Bazaar, is situated in the 17^th Shahrivar Square, where various categories of products are sold. Make sure also to visit a workshop where turquoises from the Neishabur mines are cut and polished. Bazaar is open 8 am to 8 p.m., Saturday to Thursday. The remains of several old caravansaries, now put to other purposes, can be seen. Postal services are provided at both ends of Bazaar-e Reza during the office hours.

Certain other shopping centers are scattered in the town: 1) Zist-e Khavar Business Centre, in Dr Shari'ati Square (Kuh Sangui) affiliate with Bank-e Tejarat, and in building considered the most attractive and the most spectacular shopping centre in the Middle East; and 2) Shops along Ahmad Abad Ave, Jannat Ave, Daneshgah Ave, and Modarres Ave.

The Nader Shah Mausoleum

The Nader Shah Mausoleum (in Shohada Street, beginning of Azadi Street) is a curious piece of architecture completed in 1959, consisting in a heavy slab of concrete which forms a crypt and of a colossal bronze group representing soldiers led to battle by a sort of an equestrian commander on horseback (5 meters high and weighing 14,000 kilograms) bearing a turban and a large ax (Nader Shah). Designed by the late Iranian sculptor Abolhassan Sadiqi (1897-1995, a follower of the Master Painter Kamal ol-Molk) and built in Italy by an Italian sculptor named Bruni, the composition does not lack movement. The crypt shelters the tomb of Nader Shah, who made Mashhad his capital and operational base for his campaign against India. A small museum and a library have been set up nearby: Nader Shah souvenirs, mainly 18^th and 19^th century weapons, helmets and armor (altogether 130 pieces, from Afshar period), and prehistoric bronze objects unearthed during excavations in the region. It is open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 to 4:30 p.m., except Fridays. Tel: (051) 24888.

Gonbad-e Sabz

The Gonbad-e Sabz (The Green Dome) a small rectangular mausoleum in the centre of its own small square on Shahid Bahunar (Khaki) Avenue, is probably the most interesting and best preserved historical building in Mashhad outside the Holy Shrine, built by the order of Shah Abbas the Great. Partly rebuilt in later years, it is in good condition except for a missing patch of tiles at the base of its green dome. The Gonbad is almost permanently closed, but inside it is the tomb of Sheikh Mohammad Hakim Mo'men, author of a famous book called Tohfeh-ye Hakim Mo'men on medicine. Adjacent to the Gonbad, there is a Khanegha of recent construction which is being used by the Naqshbandi dervishes.

Museums of Mashhad

There are three interesting museums in Mashhad: 1) Museum of Astan-e Qodss; 2) Koran Museum: and 3) Stamp Museum.

 

EXCURSIONS AROUND MASHHAD

Mausoleum of Khajeh Rabi'

 

The fine octagonal 17^th -century mausoleum of Khajeh Rabi', patron holy man of the Sunnite population of Khorassan, is located in the north west of Mashhad (about 6 km away, which can be reached via bus line 30 from the west of the Haram Square). Built by the order of Shah Abbas the Great and restored twice since, the cemetery was originally a park, and now the simple monument to Khajeh Rabi' seems a little extravagant in the midst of so many much simpler memorials. Non-Muslims should not venture inside, but the polychrome exterior is almost as interesting as the superbly decorated interior. Known as Rabi' ibn-e Khaysam in historical sources, Khajeh Rabi' was a follower of the Prophet Muhammad and a commander in the service of Ali, the first Imam of Shi'ites.

 

NATURE OUTSIDE MASHHAD

 AKHLOMAD CASCADE: Located along the Mashhad-Quchan highway at a distance of 84 km from Mashhad and about 16 km from the Asian Road, it is a village through which a river is passing and leading up to two cascades within 3 kilometers from the village. From the village, the cascade can be reached on foot. The village is well-known for its fruit, particularly apples.

 

GOLESTAN DAM: It is an old dam with a 120-meters crest, 14 meters height, and 4 km away from Torqabeh, built on a river of the same name around 500 years ago during the reign of Timurid dynasty. Take bus line 18 from the Shohada Square.

 

GUILASS SPRING: With an elevation of 1090 meters above sea level, 50 km to the north west of Mashhad and 21 km to the north west of Tus, its water flows into a large natural pond with a maximum depth of 10 meters. It can be reached via the road to Tus or the Mashhad-Quchan highway.

 

HESSAR: This is a beautiful village along the road to Torqabeh and Golestan river and dam (4 km from Torqabeh). There are many gardens around the village, which are used by the tourists in the summer time. Take bus line 18 from the Shohada Square.

 

SHANDIZ: Located 38 km to the southwest of Mashhad, this is a mountainous area with many springs and orchards. Leather products and fur clocks are among the best handicrafts of the region. There are skiing facilities in the surrounding area. To go to Shandiz, you can take bus line 19 from Shohada Square in Mashhad.

 

TORQABEH: This is a beautiful mountainous village with many orchards, 16 km to the southwest of Mashhad. The orchards are watered with a river passing through the village. The village has got a nice park as well. The best known souvenirs of the village are the villagers' hand-woven baskets.

 

TUS

Tus was a powerful city and regional capital long before Mashhad, but then the Mongols came. A ridge of clay running through the plain is all that is left of its ramparts the size of which gives an indication of how large a city it was. Tus, 22 km north east of Mashhad on a turning east of the road to Gorgan and alongside the Quchan road, is the home town of Ferdowsi, not only the poet of Shahnameh (Epic of the Kings composed in 30 years), but also the national chronicler (in nearly sixty thousand verses) of a certain view of ancient Persian history. He died in 1020, and is now buried under a mausoleum built in 1933 in preparation for the celebration of the 1000^th anniversary of the poet's death a year later, but rebuilt in 1968 because the first version was thought too plain. The mausoleum is surrounded by a beautiful garden. Tus can be accessed by bus from Shohada Square in Mashhad. Bus line 20 from Shohada Square will take you to Tus.

 

Tus Museum

This is a small museum in the complex of Ferdowsi Mausoleum, which has a book stand with some offerings in English not easily available elsewhere. The building was formerly used as a traditional tea house. Following renovation works in 1982, it was transformed into the present museum, which due to some deficiencies was soon closed until 1987, when it was reopened to the public. In addition to a manuscript of the shahnameh weighing 73 kilograms the museum houses both ethnological and archaeological sections. The archaeological items were excavated from different regions of Khorassan, including Khaf, Torbat-e Jam.

Tel: (051) 25180.

Harunieh Garden

This large, crumbling, quadrangular domed mausoleum, in the vicinity of Ferdowsi's mausoleum, is the only remaining structure of the original city of Tus. Although popularly associated by the locals with Harun or-Rashid (whose remains are generally accepted to have been buried near those of Imam Reza at Mashhad) no one exactly knows for whom it was built or at which date, and there are no clues inside or out. It is possible that it may have been erected over the grave of al-Ghazali (whose gravestone can be seen near the mausoleum); from its style it appears to date from the early sixteenth century. It is believed to have been a dervish monastery for some time.

NEISHABUR

Neishabur, the earliest recorded capital of Khorassan, is located 112 km west of Mashhad, and was at one time a thriving literary, artistic, and academic center. This, the home of Omar Khayyam, has had an even more checkered history than most ancient Iranian cities. Founded in Sassanian times and named after Shapur, it became the capital of Khorassan after the Arab conquest, and rose to great importance during the tenth century. Like Ray and Gorgan, it is one of the main sources of the pottery of this period. Toghrol Beg, the first of the Seljuks, made it his capital in 1037.

Neishabur was damaged by an earthquake in 1145 and by the invasion of Ghuzz Turkamans in 1153, yet rebuilt by the time Yaqut visited it in 1216. But its revival was short lived, and it was the first city in what is now Iran to feel the full force of the Mongol invasion in 1221.

Despite a further Mongol invasion in 1269, and another earthquake in 1282, Clavijo found it a substantial city at the beginning of the fourteenth century. But it was soon overtaken and surpassed by Mashhad, and after its further destruction at the hands of the Afghans in 1722, Nader Shah made Mashhad his capital and Neishabur ceased to have even symbolic importance Curzon was probably right when he said that it "had certainly been destroyed and rebuilt more than any other city in the world."

Omar Khayyam (died in 1125), being best known outside Iran due to his Quatrains (Rubay'yat) which were brought to the attention of the West through their English translation by Fitzgerald in the 19^th century, is buried here. Khayyam wrote the quatrains as part of his academic qualifications much as Muslim hakims prepared dissertations for a Ph.D. Most experts as well as the Iranians themselves agree that Khayyam was a great mathematician and astronomer, and that is sufficient cause for honor in his own country. Omar lies buried in the garden of the shrine of Imamzadeh Mohammad Mahrugh, built about 1570; this is a dome on a high drum with light blue tiles, in a charming setting, and with a dazzling white interior. The very simple tombstone sits in uneasy contrast with the questionable modern structure towering above it, formed of several very tall and narrow tiled concrete lozenges linked at the edges and redeemed only by inscriptions from the works of the great man.

Neishabur is actually redolent with associations of many other famous men: Farid od-Din Attar, the great 12^th to 13^th-century mystic poet, and the most famous and widely-traveled 20^th century Iranian painter of versatile abilities, Kamal ol-Molk Ghaffari, to whom there are monuments in the same beautiful and historic Mahrugh Garden. The monument with its beautifully tile decorated dome, as well as on account of its favourable position, is particularly attractive and imposing. The founder of the mausoleum is Amir Kamal od-Din Shahmir Hossein. Meanwhile, a verse inscription from the time of Shah Sultan Hossein, carved on a stone tablet on the right hand side of the ivan, denotes that toward the end of the Safavid period, a certain Mohammad Khan has embarked upon the construction of a mosque and a Musalla in Neishabur. Both monuments are modern but on a more human scale than Khayyam's. Attar's mausoleum was restored like Khayyam's in 1934. Those who have looked at the history of the Sufi mystics, will be familiar with the name of Attar, of whom the great mystic Jalal od-Din Rumi declared, "Attar is the soul itself." Attar was killed in Neishabur during the Mongol invasion.

Because of being a long drive from Mashhad, visiting Neishabur for many foreigners will become a tiring though not a disappointing trip.

Ghadamgah Mausoleum

With close resemblance to the Khajeh Rabi'e mausoleum, this charming octagonal mausoleum, set in a small walled water-garden, is on the Mashhad road, 26 km from Neishabur in the village of Ghadamgah, the "Place of the Foot", so named because inside the mausoleum there is a stone slab with what are believed to be the (very large) two footprints of Imam Reza, who stopped here on his way to Tus. This 17^th-century monument, which can hardly accommodate more than half a dozen pilgrims at a time, has also some fine inscriptions and stalactite moldings.(moqarnas). It is no problem for non-Muslims to visit or to photograph inside. The mausoleum possesses four spacious ivans on four sides and its interior has been covered with fine octagonal enameled tiles. An inscription in Thulth found in the monument, gives the name of the calligrapher as Mohammad Hossein.

There are many other sites worthy of visit in Khorassan, but of rather difficult access.

ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERSACCESS AND DISTANCES:

925 km to Tehran. 960 km to Kerman. 1044 km to Rasht. 696 km to Sari. 1489 km to Tabriz. 975 km to Zahedan. 939 km to Yazd.

ACCIDENTS:

There is an emergency clinic on the north side of Ahmad Abad (Feizieh) Street, 81000. For emergencies you may also dial 118.

AIR AGENT:

 

Iran Air, on the south side of Sanabad Street 832096.

Iran Air, Modarres Crossroads (Darvazeh Tala'ie) 51492.

1. Iran-Air Tour, Ahmad Abad Avenue 809011-5.

 

Asseman Air, Imam Reza Avenue (Tehran), 57200.

AIRPORT:

 

The airport is at the end of Bolvar-e Jomhuri-e Eslami, 315001-6, 999556.

Flight Inquiries: 319955-7.

BANKS:

 

The central branch of Bank Melli Iran is on the east side of Imam Khomeini Ave 25031-6.

Bank-e Mellat, Imam Khomeini Ave, Modarres Intersection 20087, 22560.

Bank Mellat, Modarres Ave 51094.

Bank-e Ostan (Provincial Branch of Band Saderat), 20831-5, 24714-5.

1. Bank Saderat Iran, Imam Khomeini Ave 22171-3.
2. Bank Sepah, Shirazi Street 20001.

BUS TERMINAL:

There are hundreds of buses to most major cities everyday. The bust terminal is located at the end of Imam Reza Avenue, incorporating 17 cooperative bus companies, each with their own booking office. Two separate platforms have been provided for the arrivals and departures by bus. The bus terminal is equipped with a prayer hall, a restaurant, long distance telephone service, and shopping facility for the travelers. Tel: 99001-7.

 

CITY DIALING CODE NUMBER:

The dialing code for Mashhad is 051.

 DRUG STORE (24-HOUR):

 

Imam, Imam Reza Hospital Square, 91166

Mehr, Imam Reza Ave, 48391

1. Nahid, Imam Khomeini Ave, 43544
2. Piruz, Imam Reza (Tehran) Ave, Danesh Intersection, 91691
3. Sanabad, Sanabad Street, 62292
4. Twenty-Second Bahman, Daneshgah Ave, Next to the Faculty of Medicine, 98015.

EMERGENCIES:

For emergencies dial either 115 or 118. There is an emergency clinic Ahmad Abad Street.

FIRE STATION:

Central Station in Shohada Square, 112, 22222.

GOVERNOR'S OFFICE:

Ostandari, Enghelab-e Eslami Street, 95051-5.

Farmandari, Pasdaran Ave, 58061-4.

MEDICAL SERVICES:

MUNCIPALITY:

On the southwest side of Shohada Square 22177-9.