Zahir-od-dowleh Cemetery () is located in Darband, close to Tajrish, Shemiran (now a neighbourhood inside Tehran's city limits). It serves as the final resting place for numerous Iranian artists, poets, and musicians.

History Ali Khan Zahir od-Dowleh, head of the Society of Brotherhood (Anjoman-e Okhovat) died from a heart attack on Friday 27 June 1924, in his garden in Jafarabad, Shemiran. He was interred in a public cemetery near his garden, located between Tajrish and Imamzadeh Qasim in Shemiran. This site was previously home to an old cemetery, and later the Zahir-od-Dowleh Khanqah (Safa' alishah) was relocated to this place. Following Zahir-od-Dowleh's burial, his disciples named the old cemetery and khanqah "Zahir-od-Dowleh Safa Ali Cemetery."

The burial site of Zahir-od-Dowleh was situated beneath a tree known as "Daghdaghan," where he often sat during his lifetime. Before his burial, he was ritually washed by Mowlavi Rashti, who was also later buried at the same site. The Society of Brotherhood (Anjoman-e Okhovat) enclosed this public cemetery, officially naming it "Zahir-od-Dowleh Safa Ali Cemetery."

Owing to Zahir-od-Dowleh Safa Ali's popularity among various social classes, numerous artists, politicians, and scholars requested to be buried in this cemetery. As a result, the khanqah custodians and Zahir-od-Dowleh's disciples garnered considerable revenue from selling burial plots.

From the 1960s onward, burials in this complex were prohibited, with exceptions granted through special permits and in limited numbers during the 1960s and 1970s. The last burial at Zahir-od-Dowleh Safa Ali Cemetery occurred in 1979, with the interment of General Ali Neshat.

Notable burials Ali Khan Zahir od-Dowleh (1864–1924) – Sufi leader Gholamhossein Darvish (1872–1926) – musician Prince Iraj Mirza (1874–1926) – Qajar prince and poet Seifeddin Kermanshahi (fa) (1876–1932) – playwright Princess Zahra Khanom Taj os-Saltaneh (1883–1936) – Qajar princess Habib Samaei (1905–1941) – musician Sharafeddin Qahramani (fa) (1900–1942) – author Musa Hakimi Nazm os-Saltaneh (fa) (1864–1944) – constitutionalist Hassan-Ali Mostashar Mostashar ol-Molk (fa) (1879–1945) – politician Mohammad Masoud (ru) (1901–1947) – journalist Prince Mohammad-Sadegh Morza Moezz od-Dowleh (fa) (1866–1948) – Qajar prince Mohammd-Hossein Loghman Adham (fa) (1879–1950) – physician Mohammad Taqi Bahar (1884–1951) – poet and scholar Gholamreza Rashid Yasemi (1895–1951) – poet Hossein Hangafarin (fa) (1875–1952) – musician Reza Mahjubi (1898–1954) – musician Hossein Taherzadeh (fa) (1882–1955) – singer Hassan Loghman Adham (fa) (1884–1957) – politician Abolhasan Saba (1902–1957) – musician Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri (1905–1959) – singer Dariush Rafiei (fa) (1927–1959) – singer Esmail Marzban (fa) (1867–1960) – politician Mohammad-Mehdi Obehi (fa) (1873–1960) – politician Hossein Saba (fa) (1924–1960) – musician Fazlollah Mohtadi Sobhi (fa) (1897–1962) – writer Nosratollah Montaser (fa) (1899–1965) – mayor of Teheran Morteza Mahjoubi (1899–1965) – musician Ruhollah Khaleqi (1906–1965) – musician Ahmad Nakhjavan (1893–1966) – IIAF general and chief of staff (1925–36) Forough Farrokhzad (1934–1966) – poet Hossein Masrour (fa) (1890–1968) – writer Hossein Yahaghi (fa) (1903–1968) – musician Mohammad-Hassan Rahi Moayyeri (1909–1968) – poet Hassan Taqizadeh (1876–1969) – politician and veteran constitutionalist Masoud Moazed (fa) (d. 1969) – politician Ebrahim Mansouri (fa) (1899–1969) – musician Moshir Homayoun Shahrdar (fa) (1885–1970) – musician Jahanbakht Tofigh (1931–1970) – wrestler Fazl'ollah Mohtadi Sobhi (1897–1962) – Author Ali Eghbal (fa) (1899–1972) – politician Mohammad Ameri (fa) (1889–1973) – politician Hossein Tehrani (1912–1974) – musician Ahmad Vosough (fa) (1899–1975) – IIA general Farid Khaz'al (fa) (1927–1975) – IIN general Nasrollah Saba (fa) (1886–1977) – politician Giti Amir-Khosravi (fa) (1895–1977) – musician Nur-Ali Borumand (de) (1905–1977) – musician Fazael Tadayon (1908–1977) – IIAF general and chief of staff (1975–77) Ali Neshat (1923–1979) – Imperial Guard general

Gallery

References

External links

A short biography of Mirza Ali-Khan Zahir od-Dowleh, The Group Weblog of the Archivists of Iran (وبلاگ گروهی آرشیویستهای ایران), in Persian A photograph of Mirza Ali-Khan Zahir od-Dowleh