The Shāh Abdol-Azīm Shrine ( fa, شاه عبدالعظیم), also known as Shabdolazim, located in Rey,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, contains the tomb of ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Hasanī (aka Shah Abdol Azim). Shah Abdol Azim was a fifth generation descendant of Hasan ibn ‘Alī and a companion of Muhammad al-Taqī. He was entombed here after his death in the 9th century. Adjacent to the shrine, within the complex, include the mausolea of Imamzadeh Tahir (son of the fourth

Shia Imam In Shia Islam, the Imamah ( ar, إمامة) is a doctrine which asserts that certain individuals from the lineage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad are to be accepted as leaders and guides of the ummah after the death of Muhammad. Imamah further ...

Sajjad) and Imamzadeh Hamzeh (brother of the eighth

Twelver Twelver Shīʿīsm ( ar, ٱثْنَا عَشَرِيَّة; '), also known as Imāmīyyah ( ar, إِمَامِيَّة), is the largest branch of Shīʿa Islam, comprising about 85 percent of all Shīʿa Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers t ...

Imām - Imām Reza).

Background

Abdol Azim migrated to

Rayy Shahr-e Ray ( fa, شهر ری, ) or simply Ray (Shar e Ray; ) is the capital of Ray County in Tehran Province, Iran. Formerly a distinct city, it has now been absorbed into the metropolitan area of Greater Tehran as the 20th district of municip ...

out of persecution and subsequently died there. A piece of paper was found in his pocket outlining his ancestry as being: ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm son of ‘Abdillāh son of ‘Alī son of Husayn son of Zayd son of Hasan ibn ‘Alī. Shah Abdol Azim was sent to Rayy ( Modern day Tehran) by Imam

Reza Reza is a Persian name, originating from the Arabic word , ''Riḍā'', which literally means "the fact of being pleased or contented; contentment, approval". In religious context, this name is interpreted as ''satisfaction'' or "''perfect content ...

. His journey was full of hardships but he successfully reached there and delivered the message of Imam. He was one of the pious persons of his time. During his journey many spies of Abbasid Caliph Al-Matawakkil tried to capture him but failed. A movie on the life of Shah Abdol Azim Al-Hasani has been made and is available in Persian and Urdu languages.

History and design

Ibn Qūlawayh al-Qummī (d. 978 CE) "includes the shrine in his Kāmil al-Ziyārāt, one of the earliest pilgrimage guides for the Shiʿa, which suggests that the tomb of ʿAbd al-Aẓīm was already of some importance by the tenth century." The tomb of Abdol-Azim had also come under the patronage of Sunni rulers at times, a notable example being the mausoleum constructed over Abdol-Azim's tomb in the 1090s CE by orders of the Seljuk vizier Majd al-Mulk Asʿad b. Muḥammad b. Mūsā.Leisten, Architektur für Tote, pp. 240-241. The whole construction consists of a portal with a lofty

Iwan An iwan ( fa, ایوان , ar, إيوان , also spelled ivan) is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called , a Persian term for a portal projecting ...

decorated with mirrors, several

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

s, a golden

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...

, two tile minarets, a portico, a

sepulcher A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

, and a mosque. The most historical and portable relic of this holy place, is its costly box which is made of betel-nut wood. On four sides of this precious box, a relief inscription in Nastaliq and

Thuluth ''Thuluth'' ( ar, ثُلُث, ' or ar, خَطُّ الثُّلُثِ, '; fa, ثلث, ''Sols''; Turkish: ''Sülüs'', from ' "one-third") is a script variety of Islamic calligraphy. The straight angular forms of Kufic were replaced in the new s ...

characters, is carved. The inscription ends with the date 1330 CE, and the name of the maker of the box, i.e., Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Isfahani. An inlaid door near the mausoleum of Nasser al-Din Shah, (This place used to be called Masjid-i-Holaku, prior to its being turned into a tomb) which bears the date 1450 CE, i.e., the period of Shah-rokh Bahadur Timurid`s reign, constitutes another historical relic of this structure. Two antique iron doors which are engraved with Kufic inscriptions are to be found in the treasure-house of the (Astaneh), which seem to be the oldest remains of this structure and to belong to the Seljukid period. But, at present, these two doors and the concluding part of their inscriptions bear the date 1538. Further, there is an inlaid door which had formerly been installed in the northern part of the ivan of Imamzadeh Hamzeh. This door has an inscription in Tulth calligraphy, dated 1512. The cupola of this structure has been built upon the order of Majd al-Mulk radestani Qomi, and later on has been plated with gold. The ivan, portico and portal of the building date from the reign of Shah Tahmasp I ( Safavid king). The gold-threaded silk belonging to the Safavid period. The silver-plated sepulcher has been made and installed by the order of

Fath Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, فتحعلى‌شاه قاجار, Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; May 1769 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irr ...

. The mirror-work, paintings and gildings of the structure belong to the 19th century. Reparations are still being carried out in this complex of holy structures. Adjoining this holy tomb, there are some other tombs belonging to the

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

monarchs, and the Ulamahs (religious scholars) and other personalities.

Notable Burials

* Abdol-Azim al-Hassani (789–866) – medieval scholar *Morteza Razi ( fa) (11th cent.) – medieval scholar * Abu al-Futuh al-Razi (1087–1157) – medieval scholar * Ahmad Monshi Qomi (1547–1607) – scholar * Abolghasem Ghaem-Magham Farahani (1779–1835) –

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

(1834–35) *Mohammad-Sharif Khan Mafi ( fa) (d. 1847) – politician * Qaani Shirazi (1808–1854) – poet *Saadat-Ali Shah ( fa) (d. 1876) – leader of Nematullahi Gonabadi Sufi order *Abbas-Ali Dadashbeig ( fa) (1814–1878) – military officer and father of Reza Shah *Mohammad Khan Majd ol-Molk Sinaki ( fa) (1809–1881) – politician * Bahram Mirza Moezz od-Dowleh (1806–1882) – Qajar prince and politician * Ali Kani (1805–1888) – cleric * Nasser al-Din Shah

(1831–1896) –

Shahanshah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

of Persia (1848–96) *Mohammad-Ali Sadr ol-Mamalek ( fa) (d. 1902) – politician *Vajihollah Mirza ( az) (1854–1905) – Qajar prince and politician * Sattar Khan (1866–1914) – a leader of Persian Constitutional Revolution *Soltan Hossein Mirza Jalal od-Dowleh ( fa) (1868–1914) – Qajar prince and politician *Nour-Ali Shah II ( fa) (1867–1918) – leader of Nematullahi Gonabadi Sufi order *Abolhassan Mirza ( az) (1847–1919) – Qajar prince and politician * Mohammad Tabatabai (1842–1920) – cleric a leader of Persian Constitutional Revolution * Malek-Mansour Mirza Sho'a' os-Saltaneh (1880–1920) – Qajar prince * Mohammad Khiabani (1880–1920) – politician * Abolqassem Naser ol-Molk (1866–1927) – politician and regent of Persia (1911–14) *Ahmad Bader Nasir od-Dowleh ( fa) (1870–1930) – politician *Raf'at Semnani ( fa) (1882–1931) – poet *Mohammad-Hossein Nadoushani ( fa) (1864–1932) – politician *Ali-Mardan Khan ( fa) (1892–1934) – chief of Bakhtiari tribe *Banoo Ozma Eftekhar od-Dowleh ( fa) (1857–1935) – Qajar princess *Nezameddin Hekmat Moshar od-Dowleh ( fa) (1883–1936) – politician *Abdollah Haeri Rahmat-Ali Shah ( fa) (1862–1937) – Sufi leader * Mohammad Aghazadeh Khorasani (1877–1937) – cleric * Firouz Mirza Nostrat od-Dowleh (1889–1938) – Qajar prince and politician *

Abdol-Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma Prince Abdol-Hossein Farman Farma ( fa, عبدالحسین فرمانفرما 1857 – November, 1939) was one of the most prominent Qajar princes, and one of the most influential politicians of his time in Persia. He was born in Tehran to P ...

(1852–1939) – Qajar prince and politician *

Reza Shah Pahlavi , , spouse = Maryam Savadkoohi Tadj ol-Molouk Ayromlu (queen consort)Turan AmirsoleimaniEsmat Dowlatshahi , issue = Princess Hamdamsaltaneh Princess ShamsMohammad Reza Shah Princess Ashraf Prince Ali Reza Prince Gholam Reza Prin ...

(1878–1944) – chief of

Persian Cossack Brigade , image = Persian Cossack Brigade.jpg , caption = Persian Cossack Brigade in Tabriz in 1909 , dates = 1879–1921 , disbanded = 6 December 1921 , count ...

(1920–21),

(1923–24) and Shahanshah of Iran (1925–41) ( Reza Shah's mausoleum) *Gholamhossein Rahnama ( fa) (1882–1946) – scholar *Sadr-ol-Eslam Khoei ( fa) (1887–1948) – scholar *

Mohammad Qazvini Mohammad Qazvini ( fa, محمد قزوینی ; 1876–1949) was a prominent figure in modern Iranian culture and literature. Education and activities Qazvini was born in Tehran. Qazvini studied at literary and philosophical seminaries, studying ...

(1877–1949) – scholar * Esmail Merat (1893–1949) – politician *Abdollah Mostowfi ( fa) (1878–1950) – politician * Mostafa Adl (1882–1950) – politician * Haj-Ali Razmara (1901–1951) – prime minister (1950–51) *Moahammad Mazaher ( fa) (1875–1954) – politician * Ali-Reza Pahlavi (1922–1954) – Pahlavi prince and son of Reza Shah * Abbas Eqbal Ashtiani (1896–1956) – scholar *

Ali Soheili Ali Soheili ( fa, علی سهیلی; 1896 – 1 May 1958) was a Prime Minister of Iran. Born in Tabriz, he served as Prime Minister in 1942, and Ambassador to Britain in 1953. He has studied at Saint Louis school in Tehran. The Tehran Confe ...

(1896–1958) – prime minister (1942, 1943–44) * Mohammad-Sadegh Tabatabaei (1881–1961) – politician * Abolghasem Kashani (1882–1962) – cleric and politician *

Fazlollah Zahedi Fazlollah Zahedi ( fa, فضل‌الله زاهدی, Fazlollāh Zāhedi, pronounced ; 17 May 1892 – 2 September 1963) was an Iranian lieutenant general and statesman who replaced the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh through a coup d'� ...

(1892–1963) – army general and prime minister (1953–55) *Tayyeb Haj-Rezaei ( fa) (1911–1963) – political activist *Abdol-Azim Gharib ( ru) (1879–1965) – scholar *Nezam-Vafa Arani ( fa) (1887–1965) – poet *

Hassan-Ali Mansur Hasan Ali Mansur ( fa, حسن علی منصور‎; 13 April 1923 – 26 January 1965) was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1965. He served during the White Revolution of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and was as ...

(1923–1965) – prime minister (1964–65) * Ziaeddin Tabatabaei (1889–1969) – journalist and prime minister (1921) *

Badiozzaman Forouzanfar Badiozzaman Forouzanfar or Badi'ozzamān Forūzānfar (also Romanized as "Badiʿ al-Zamān Furūzānfar") (12 July 1904 in Boshrooyeh in Ferdows County – 6 May 1970 in Tehran) ( fa, بدیع‌الزمان فروزانفر, born ''Ziyaa' ...

(1897–1970) – scholar * Ahmad Matin-Daftari (1897–1971) – prime minister (1939–40) * Mohammad-Ali Emam-Shoushtari (1902–1972) – scholar *Davoud Maghami ( fa) (1938–1972) – politician *Mohammad-Kazem Assar ( fa) (1884–1975) – scholar * Ahmad Ashtiani (1882–1975) – cleric * Hajj Khazen Ol-Molk (1831-1901) – merchant, scholar * Mohammad-Amir Khatami (1920–1975) – commander in chief of IIAF (1958–75) *

Ali-Asghar Hekmat Hekmat-e Shirazi حکمت شیرازی or Mirza Ali-Asghar Khan Hekmat-e Shirazi (16 June 1892 – 25 August 1980) was an Iranian politician, diplomat and author who served as the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, and M ...

(1892–1980) – politician *Soleiman Behboudi ( fa) (1896–1981) – politician *Nasrollah Falsafi ( fa) (1901–1981) – scholar *Reza Mafi ( fa) (1943–1982) – calligrapher *Hassan Nayyerzadeh ( fa) (1928–1983) – scholar * Karim Amiri Firuzkouhi (1910–1984) – painter *Mohammad-Ali Hedayati ( fa) (1910–1986) – politician *Amanollah Ardalan Ezz-ol-Mamalek ( fa) (1884–1987) – politician *Mehdi Soheili ( fa) (1924–1987) – poet *Hossein Lankarani ( fa) (1889–1989) – politician *Shamseddin Jazayeri ( fa) (1913–1990) – politician * Mohammad Taghi-Falsafi (1908–1998) – cleric * Abdol-Karim Haghshenas (1919–2007) – cleric *Abolghasem Gorji ( fa) (1923–2010) – scholar * Mohammad-Ali Taraghijah (1943–2010) – painter * Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan (1979–2012) – scholar * Azizollah Khoshvaght (1926–2013) – cleric * Mojtaba Tehrani (1937–2013) – cleric * Sadegh Tirafkan (1965–2013) – artist *Vali Akbar ( fa) (1970–2013) – wrestler *

Mohammad-Reza Mahdavi Kani Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani ( fa, محمدرضا مهدوی کنی, 6 August 1931 – 21 October 2014) was an Iranian Shia cleric, writer and conservative and principlist politician who was Acting Prime Minister of Iran from 2 Septemb ...

(1931–2014) – cleric and prime minister (1981) *Parviz Moayyed-Ahd ( fa) (1929–2016) – scholar *Mohammad-Taghi Nourbakhsh ( fa) (1962–2018) – scholar * Mohammad-Ali Shahidi (1949–2020) – cleric and politician *

Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur Ali Akbar Mohtashamipur or Mohtashami ( fa, سید علی‌اکبر محتشمی‌پور‎; 30 August 1947 – 7 June 2021) was an Iranian Shia cleric who was active in the 1979 Iranian Revolution and later became interior minister of the I ...

(1947–2021) – cleric and politician *

Seyyed Mohammad Ziaabadi Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Ziaabadi (1928 - 8 February 2021) ( Persian: سید محمد ضیاءآبادی) was an Iranian Mujtahid that was based in the Tehran Islamic Seminary. He specialised in Islamic ethics and interpretation of the Quran. ...

(1928-2021) - cleric

Background

History and design

Notable Burials

See also

References

Further reading