There are a great number of shrines in Iran and we were lucky enough to visit some of them. The Iranians are given to visiting shrines and on that subject I would like to recommend a book “Persian Pilgrimages - Journeys Across Iran” by Afshin Molavi. It is a very readable and amusing book written by an Iranian-born American journalist.

The shrines are tombs or mausoleums of people who are venerated in Iran, from descendants of the Prophet to poets like Omar Khayyam and Hafez.

Me wearing a chador

I am confessing here that I have shamefully plagiarised guide books, google and our tour notes for this information, not with any pretence that it is my own work but simply so that I will know what is what in a year’s time.

The first shrine which we visited was a short drive out from Tehran and into a very barren mountain landscape.

The Shrine of Bibi Shahrbanu at Rey

The Shrine of Bibi Shahrbanu (Lady of the Land), situated in the hills overlooking Rey, is said to house the remains of the daughter of the last Sassanian king, Yazdigrid III. According to an unfounded tradition she married the Imam Hussain, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

It is said that she fled to Rey to escape the overtures of an Umayyad general. At her behest the mountain opened and then closed around her, saving her from a fate worse than death.

This visit was my first experience of taking my shoes off to enter a carpeted shrine. It was a hot day and sweltering inside the actual shrine; packed with women, they were kissing and rubbing the shrine. Being the tomb of a woman they probably felt a greater connection with her than with other shrines we visited, although even I got into the habit of giving a little rub to the metalwork in passing.

The next picture is Aramgah-e Danyai, the tomb of Daniel of Old Testament fame situated in Susa. To quote from Iran, the Bradt Travel Guide , “Many pilgrims throughout the centuries came here, especially during times of drought to pray for rain. This association with water goes back at least to the 12th Century when the Seljuk ruler decreed that Daniel’s body be put into a rock crystal coffin and suspended from the bridge.

The tomb of Daniel. I didn't manage to get the whole casket into the photo. Sorry!

The present shrine has been carefully restored following serious damage by Iraqi bombardment.

This shrine is significant for its conical dome.

The guide book says, “Visitors are welcome, ladies entering by the left door, men by the right, and currently the main courtyard is decorated with an interesting selection of contemporary wall paintings.”

Interesting contemporary wall paintings
It reads "A woman modestly dressed is as a pearl in its shell

The next photo is of the Mausoleum of Mongol Sultan Oljeitu Khodabande in Sultaniyya . Originally intended to be the tomb of Ali, Son-in-law of The Prophet, it was eventually used as the tomb of its builder.

The Mausoleum of Mongol Sultan Oljeitu Khodabande in Sultaniyya.

Iran, the Bradt Travel Guide , says of this building, ”Its size and scale are immense. The huge egg-shaped dome rests on eight internal piers but their massive size is disguised by their soaring, tapering height, high arches and a rhythmic arrangement of connecting galleries. From the floor to the apex of the dome is 52 metres.

The Gardens in front of the Tomb of the Poet, Hafez, in Shiraz.

We visited the tomb of the Poet, Hafez (1326 – 1390), in Shiraz. Karim Khan Zand ordered a tomb to be built in 1773 but it was torn down in 1938 to make way for the present octagonal kiosk. Hafez wrote lyrical poetry about love and his beloved, whom he saw when he was working as a baker’s assistant and with whom he fell instantly in love.

The Tomb of the Poet, Hafez, in Shiraz.

His poetry reminds me strongly of the Fitzgerald version of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and I suspect that Fitzgerald was greatly influenced by Hafez because his Rubaiyat, beautiful as it is, bears very little resemblance to the original Rubaiyat.

Sheikj Safi-od-din mausoleum, Ardabil.

“… the safavid complex comprising the tomb of the founder . Ardabil was once an important Sufi centre and famous for being the place of origin of the Safavid rulers . The mausoleum of Shaikh Safi al-Din (1252 – 1334) an ancestor of Shah Isma’il, the founder of the Safavid dynasty .

In Mahan we visited the shrine of Ni’matullah Vali Kirmani (Astan-e-Shah Nematallah-e-Vali) , the Sufi mystic poet who spent his last years in Mahan. He is said to have foretold the rise of the Safavid regime.

Sufi shrine at Mahan: Astan-e-Shah Nematallah-e-Vali - died 1430/1431.

I think that I took this photograph at the 11th Century tomb of the 12 imams (although none is actually buried here).

Imamzade-ye Hyssein - shrine of the son of 8th Imam - Qazvin . Pity about the lamp post and rubbish bin.

Says Bradt - “In the centre of the huge octagonal courtyard stands the shrine with its mirrored glass veranda. Women, who must wear the chador, enter through the left-hand door and men through the right. No photographs of the interior of the shrine are allowed.

Yazd: Imamzadeh Rokna al-Din dating to 1325.