The Imam Reza shrine () is the mausoleum of Ali al-Rida, the eighth Imam in Shia Islam, located in Mashhad, the province of Razavi Khorasan, Iran. As one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, nearly 30 million Muslims making pilgrimages to the shrine every year, the most visited pilgrimage site in Islam. Imam Reza was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. His lineage traces back to Ali via Muhammad’s daughter Fatima, through the line of Husayn. He is part of the chain of mystical authority in Sunni Sufism, making him widely respected in Sunni Islam as well. He is also regarded as a model of asceticism in Sufism. Uyoun Akhbar Al-Ridha have recorded miracles which have occurred at the shrine.
The shrine covers an area of 1,200,000 square meters, making it the third largest mosque in the world, after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. The Goharshad Mosque, the Astan Quds Razavi Central Museum, The Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi, and the Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, are also contained within the complex. The complex was added to Iran's National Heritage List on 6 January 1932, and on 2 February 2017, it was added to Iran's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Also buried within the shrine are members of the Timurid, Safavid and Qajar dynasties, alongside the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, polymath Sheikh Bahāʾī, Crown Prince Abbas Mirza, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and many other notable political figures, scholars, and clerics. The city of Mashhad has been named the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
Religious significance Several hadiths from the Shia Imams and Muhammad highlight the importance of pilgrimage to the shrine. A hadith from Muhammad says: The Imam Reza Shrine has been regarded as a very important place of pilgrimage and a major spiritual center for both Shia and Sunni Muslims due to the burial of Ali al-Ridha. Since the presence of Imam Reza in the eastern Islamic region had a significant impact in favor of the Alids and against the Abbasids, it also contributed to the spread of Shia teachings in the region. After his death, the propagation of his teachings was entrusted to his narrators and students, and his burial site gradually became a spiritual center for Shias and, shortly afterward, for Sunnis as well. The prosperity of the burial site of Imam Reza is notable, despite the fact that he is buried next to the Abbasid caliph, Harun al-Rashid. Visitors ranging from common people to many Shia and Sunni kings made pilgrimages to the shrine throughout history.
Pilgrimages by Shia monarchs Among the Shia monarchs who visited the shrine is Ismail I, who visited the shrine right after establishing the Safavid Empire. Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Qutb Shahi dynasty, also visted the shrine. Before launching his major campaign to drive out the Uzbek occupiers from Khorasan, Tahmasp I visited the shrine to pray for victory. According to Safavid chronicles, the shrine's custodian later reported a dream in which Imam Reza assured him that the Shah would be victorious. After successfully driving the Uzbeks out, Tahmasp's devotion to the shrine deepened, and he continued to patronize and embellish it. Suleiman I visited multiple times and sponsored major renovations and donations. Abbas the Great is one of the most famous royal pilgrims. He walked on foot from Isfahan to Mashhad on pilgrimage and greatly expanded the shrine complex. He commissioned the circumferential inscription that encircles the dome today. Nader Shah visited the shrine and endowed it with gifts, including the famous jeweled Negin-Neshan zarih, and the current Saqakhaneh. He also ordered the gilding of the shrine’s minarets, replacing the earlier green tile decoration with gold. The Tomb of Nader Shah is very close to the shrine. Karim Khan of the Zand dynasty sponsored repairs and maintenance of several sections of the complex. Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar also visited the shrine and donated gifts. Fath-Ali Shah Qajar visited and commissioned works at the shrine, including the Qajar-era zarih. Mohammad Shah Qajar visited the shrine and continued restoration projects. Naser al-Din Shah Qajar also visited on several occasions and funded restorations. Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar visited the shrine and ordered repairs to its courtyards. The shrine's current Clock Tower was installed during his reign in 1899.
Pilgrimages by Sunni monarchs Among the Sunni monarchs who visited the shrine is the Seljuk Sultan, Sanjar. His son, who fell seriously ill and was brought to the shrine where prayers were offered for his recovery, is reported to have been healed there. This event strengthened the Seljuk court’s devotion to the shrine. Sultan Sanjar later became one of the shrine’s greatest patrons, sponsoring major architectural works, including the construction of the Seljuk-era dome over the shrine. The Samanid kings were notable patrons of Sunni Islamic scholarship. They maintained and supported the shrine in a big way. Although there are limited architectural remnants from their time, historical accounts suggest that the Samanids contributed to the preservation and development of the shrine. When Sebuktigin devastated Mashhad and stopped the pilgrims from visiting the shrine, the Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni restarted the expansion and renovation of the shrine, and built many fortifications around the city. The Anushtegin Sultans also made some decoration inside the shrine. Under the famed Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan, Khorasan experienced a period of prosperity that benefited the shrine and the growing pilgrimage city of Mashhad. The Mongol conqueror Timur, who is known for his military campaigns, is associated with visits to the shrine and patronage of the city. The Timurid Sultan Shah Rukh frequently visited Mashhad. Under his reign and that of his wife Gawhar Shad, the magnificent Goharshad Mosque was built within the shrine. Öljaitü of the Ilkhanid Empire converted to Shia Islam and renovated the shrine on a grand scale. The Timurid ruler Sultan Husayn Bayqara is reported to have visited the shrine. The Mughal emperor Akbar the Great is also reported to have visited the shrine. Among prominent Sunni scholars who have visited the shrine are Ibn Khuzayma, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim al-Nishaburi.
Visits by non-Muslims and conversion There are numerous historical and modern reports of non-Muslims and even atheists from across the world visiting the shrine and converting to Islam upon visiting. In recent decades, countless people from China, Korea, Japan Poland, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, India Russia, Georgia, Switzerland, France, Argentina, Australia, Greece, United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, Portugal, Ukraine, Canada, Spain, Armenia, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands and Italy have took their Shahada at the shrine and converted to Islam. Some of them, who had initially come only as tourists or out of curiosity, were deeply affected by the shrine's spiritual atmosphere and converted to Islam.
Miracles The Imam Reza Shrine has long been associated with reports of miraculous events (karāmāt) experienced by pilgrims and visitors.ʿUyūn Akhbār al-Riḍā by Ibn Babawayh has preserved accounts related to these events, and later centuries produced a large body of narratives connected specifically to the shrine as a place of healing and spiritual experiences. Many modern accounts describe pilgrims who visited the shrine seeking relief from illnesses and personal hardships and later reported unexpected recoveries or improvements. These accounts have been collected in numerous works about the shrine and are widely published. Another group of narratives concerns non-Muslims who were not previously religiously committed; they entered the shrine out of curiosity, and were deeply affected by its atmosphere and spiritual environment. The shrine is also associated with answered prayers, in which visitors attribute solutions to personal problems, family difficulties, financial struggles, or major life decisions to their prayers at the shrine. For many pilgrims, these experiences reinforce the belief that the shrine is a place of divine blessing (barakah) and spiritual connection.
History
Martyrdom of Imam Reza and early years
The shrine's early history began following the death of Imam Reza in 818 CE. He was poisoned by the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun, and was buried beside the grave of al-Ma'mun's father, Harun al-Rashid, in the village of Sanabad, near the city of Tus. The site soon became known as Mashhad al-Reza ("the Place of the Martyrdom of Reza"), from which the city of Mashhad takes its name. Mashhad literally means "The Place Where a Martyr Has Been Buried". During the first century after the Imam's burial, the shrine was relatively modest, consisting primarily of the original mausoleum and a small number of surrounding structures. Pilgrimage gradually increased despite occasional restrictions under some Abbasid rulers. By the 10th century, the Samanid dynasty and later the Ghaznavid dynasty sponsored repairs and improvements, helping establish the site as one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the Islamic world.Shias and Sunnis (for example, Ibn Hibban wrote in his Kitab al Siqqat that whenever troubled and in Mashad he would always visit the shrine to ask for relief from problems that bothered him) began visiting his grave on pilgrimage. By the end of the 9th century, a dome was built on the grave and many buildings and bazaars sprang up around it. For the next thousand years, it has been devastated and reconstructed several times. The celebrated Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta visited Mashhad and reported that it was a large town with abundant fruit trees, streams and mills. A great dome of elegant construction surmounts the noble mausoleum, the walls being decorated with colored tiles. Opposite the tomb of the Imam is the tomb of caliph Harun al-Rashid, which is surmounted by a platform bearing chandeliers.
Samanid and Ghaznavid eras The Samanids (819–999 CE), who ruled over a large part of Greater Khorasan, were notable patrons of Sunni Islamic scholarship. They maintained and supported the Imam Reza shrine. Although there are limited architectural remnants from their time, historical accounts suggest that the Samanids contributed to the preservation and development of the shrine, ensuring that it remained a focal point for pilgrims. Their support laid the groundwork for later dynasties to expand the shrine.
By the end of the 3rd century AH, a dome was built on the grave of Imam Reza and many buildings and bazaars sprang around the shrine. In , Sebuktigin, the Ghaznavid sultan devastated Mashhad and stopped the pilgrims from visiting the shrine. But in , Mahmud of Ghazni restarted the expansion and renovation of the shrine and built many fortifications around the city.
Seljuk and Mongols eras
Sultan Sanjar, after the reported healing of his son in the shrine, renovated the sanctuary and added new buildings within its precincts. At the time of Sultan Sanjar, after Sharaf al-Din Abu Tahir b. Sa'd b. Ali Qummi repaired the shrine, he began to construct a dome over it. In , as borne out by inscriptions on certain tiles, Allaudin Khwarezm Shah carried out renovations on the shrine.