Tomb of Sheikh Bahai

One of the greatest scholars of all time, Sheikh Bahai was born in the city of Baalbek in the present-day Lebanon, then part of the Ottoman empire. The pivotal event in the life of Sheikh Bahai was the emigration of his family to Iran when he was a child. They settled in the city of Qazvin, the royal capital at the time and one of the centers of Iranian scholarship. He completed his studies in Qazvin and later in Isfahan and started a long journey in the course of which he visited countries as remote as Syria and Egypt. When he finally returned to Isfahan he had added a precious life experience to his boundless well of theoretical knowledge. He was now ready to start his career as a major philosopher, mathematician, astrologist, architect and above all a superb teacher. Mullah Sadra the illustrious Iranian philosopher who is generally considered one of the greatest figures of Eastern thought was Sheikh Bahai’s most famous student. Sheikh Bahai was a true polymath. In architecture he was extremely influential and is revered all through the country (his birthday is the National Architect Day in Iran). The design of some of the masterpieces of Safavid architecture has been attributed to Sheikh Bahai. These include the glorious monuments of Naqsh-e Jahan square and many other structures such as bridges and canals. He has also many important works in astronomy and mathematics. He has touched on such revolutionary ideas such as the movement of earth long before his western counterparts. Sheikh Bahai was also an adept man of letter. He has composed numerous verses in Persian and Arabic. Finally, after decades of assiduous scholarship and untiring teaching, Sheikh Bahai surrendered to the old age and illness. He died in Isfahan but to respect his will, his students took his body to Mashhad and buried him in Imam Reza’s Shrine. The beautiful chamber that contains Sheikh Bahai’s tomb is adorned with stunning glasswork and impressive works of calligraphy. We have written at length about the golden shrine of Ali ibn Musa ar-Riḍa in Mashhad. The enormous complex is considered the largest praying area in the world. It contains seminaries, museums and a number of spectacular historic monuments including the bedazzling Goharshad Mosque. The shrine and its surrounding historic sites are the most visited of Mashhad tourist attractions. One reason for its immense popularity is that most tourists lodge in Mashhad hostels and hotels near the shrine. The short distance hugely facilitates the transportation of the tourists in Mashhad day tours. But not all Mashhad tours organize their packages around the world-famous golden shrine. Natural attractions around Mashhad attract thousands of eager nature-lovers to the bounteous Khorasan province. Chalidarreh and Shirbad are two prime destinations of nature tours. The latter is a beautiful region with a lake and lots of entertainment facilities and the latter is the only ski resort in the east Iran.