Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine
Shahcheragh Shrine is the most eye-catching sight in Shiraz, which is located on Lotf Ali Khan St. This place has amazing architecture and decorations and most foreign and Iranian tourists consider this shrine to be one of the most unique mosques in Iran.
Who was Hazrat Shah cheragh?
Hazrat Shah Cheragh was the brother of Imam Reza and the first son of Imam Musa. Hazrat Ahmed or Shah Cheragh was on his way to Khorasan to see Imam Reza. Unfortunately, his brother Imam Reza was poisoned and killed by Ma’mun. Ma’mun’s soldiers followed Hazrat Ahmed and killed him in Shiraz. Shah Cheragh means “King of the Light”. Before the reign of Amir Adud Al-Dawla, an old lady was living around Hazrat Ahmad’s grave. Until then, nobody knows where this Hazrat was buried. She saw a light every Thursday night shining until the morning. She decided to tell Amir Adud Al-Dawla. The King believed her and went to her house on Thursday night and asked her to notify him if anything happened. The old lady when she saw the light called the king: King!Light. When the King saw the light he wanted to know who was buried there. After a while, he found out it was Ahmed-Ebne-Musa.
History of shrine
The shrine belongs to the Buyid dynasty, which was built between 308 and 328 SH by Adud Al-Dawla. During the time of Atabegs, in the years 605 to 640 SH, a dome with a portico was built in this place. It took five years. At the end of the Ilkhanate dynasty and in the year 723 SH, Tashi Khatun ordered to building of an impressive tomb for Hazrat Shah Cheragh. In an earthquake, about half of the dome was destroyed, and it was reconstructed. Also, in 1108 SH, a large gold chandelier was hung in this shrine. In 1251 SH, a silver door was placed for the shrine, and the mirror works on the walls and ceiling of the shrine were finished in 1266 SH.
Architecture
This place has seven entrances, the southern doors for the men, the northern doors for the ladies, one gold entrance, and two entrances from the Ivans(porches). The Ivans of the shrine of Hazrat Shah Cheragh is on the east side. The first porch of the shrine is related to the period of the Qajar era. This porch, which is 38.30 meters in height and 5.5 meters in width, has 10 columns with a height of 10.5 meters. On both sides of the Ivans, 12 two-story rooms are built with stucco decorations. The dome of the Shah Cheragh shrine was repaired in 723, 1202, 1232, 1306, and 1338 SH due to numerous and several earthquakes, and now this dome is tiled with tiles in black, cream, green, brown, yellow, white, turquoise, azure and gold colors which is attention-grabbing.
The Zarih is an ornate lattice structure made over the holy graves in Islamic shrines. It was made with silver coating during the Qajar era, and poems about Shia Imams in Persian and Arabic are engraved on the shrine. This Zarih is 3.58 meters in height and 2.26 meters in width.
The shrine of Muhammad, another son of Imam Musa, is also in this place, which is located in the same courtyard as the shrine of Shah Cheragh.
There is a museum on the south side of the shrine, which is called the Shah Cheragh Museum. This museum contains works from prehistory to the contemporary period, including three thousand manuscripts, historical documents, and about eight thousand historical objects.
Visiting hours
Shah Cheragh Shrine is open 24/7.
