mashhad

Mashhad is the second most populous city in Iran and is the capital of Khorasan-e-Razavi Province. It is located in the northern-east part of the country and is close to the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. Mashhad is 900 km away from Tehran, which is the capital of Iran. It used to be the major oasis along the ancient Silk Road and also the capital of Iran during the Afsharid dynasty. Mashhad is one of the most famous cities in Iran which witnesses the most number of tourists. Every year, almost 345 thousand people visit this city. It is mostly known as a religious city because many tourists come to visit the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza, which is the most religious attraction in the whole of Iran. However, there are many other great tourist attractions in Mashhad which worth visiting.

History of Mashhad

The name Mashhad has derived from an Arabic word, which means the place of martyrdom, the place where Imam al-Ridha, the eighth Imam of the Shia-Muslims, took his last breath. After attaining martyrdom, the followers built the shrine in Mashhad.

The name Mashhad has derived from an Arabic word, which means the place of martyrdom, the place where Imam al-Ridha, the eighth Imam of the Shia-Muslims, took his last breath. After attaining martyrdom, the followers built the shrine in Mashhad.

At the beginning of the 9th century, Mashhad was still a small village called Sanabad, 24 km away from Tus. That place had a summer palace of HumaydibnQahtaba, the governor of Khurasan. In 808, when Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid Caliph, was passing through there to crush the rebellion of Rafi ibn al-Layth in Transoxania, he died there due to illness. He was buried under the palace of HumaydibnQahtaba. Several years later in 818, Ali Ibn Musa al-Ridha was martyred by al-Mamun and was buried beside the grave of Harun.

In the middle of the 14th century, Ibn Battuta, the famous traveller, coined the term “town of Mashhad al-Ridha”. Around the end of the middle age, the name Nuqan, found on coins in the first half of the 14th century under the Il-Khanids, seems to have been gradually ousted by al-Mashhad or Mashhad.

Mashhad Tourist Attraction

Imam Reza Shrine Complex

The Imam Reza Shrine Complex dominates the city centre. It requires several visits to appreciate its magnificence. It is the largest mosque in the world with seven massive courtyards and a total area of six hundred thousand square meters. Intricate blue tile work and Arabic calligraphy on iwans and minarets hypnotize travellers and a stunning golden dome stands proudly above the shrine itself. Goharshad Mosque is among the famous attractions inside the complex.

Tomb of Nader Shah Afshar

Although Mashhad is mostly known because of Imam Reza Holy Shrine, the tomb of Nader Shah is another great tourist attraction in Mashhad which belongs to the king of Afsharid dynasty.

Ferdowsi Mausoleum

Ferdowsi is a well-known poet who lived and died in Tus, the city 30 km away from Mashhad. Since it is very close to the city of Mashhad, most people take a daily tour to Tus to visit this poet’s tomb.