Imam Reza Mosque
| Imam Reza Holy shrine | |
|---|---|
| Haram-e Motahare Razavi | |
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 Location in Iran
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Mashhad, Iran |
| Geographic coordinates | 36°17′13″N 59°36′56″E / 36.286834°N 59.615679°ECoordinates: 36°17′13″N 59°36′56″E / 36.286834°N 59.615679°E |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Branch/tradition | Shia Islam |
| Country | Iran |
| Administration | Astan Quds Razavi |
| Leadership |
Imam(s): Ahmad Alamolhoda |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Mosque |
| Date established | 818 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 500,000 worshippers |
| Minaret(s) | 8 |
| Minaret height | 41 m (135 ft) |
The Imam Reza shrine (Persian: حرم امام رضا) in Mashhad, Iran is a complex which contains the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of Twelver Shiites. It is the largest mosque in the world by dimension and the second largest by capacity. Also contained within the complex are the Goharshad Mosque, a museum, a library, four seminaries, a cemetery, the Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, a dining hall for pilgrims, vast prayer halls, and other buildings.
The complex is one of the tourism centers in Iran. The shrine itself covers an area of 267,079m2 while the seven courtyards which surround it cover an area of 331,578m2 - totaling 598,657 m2 (6,443,890 sq ft).
Every year the ceremony of Dust Clearing is celebrated in the Imam Reza shrine.
Dar-ul-Imarah (Royal Residence) or the garden of Humayd ibn Qahtaba al-Ta'i was a fortress in the village of Sanabad. It dates back to the era before the Islam religion. It had been placed at the fork road of Sanabad, Neishabour, Sarakhs, Toos and Radkan. In fact, this fortress has been a place for the frontier guards to take position and establish the security of these roads and regions. After the demise of Harun al-Rashid, he was buried in this place. Due to this historical event, the Dar-ul-Imarah was known as the Mausoleum of Haruniyyeh.
The original inner building of Dar-ul-Imarah has been in fact a temple used by the Zoroastrians to worship. This building was demolished by the order of al-Ma'mun, and then it was reconstructed according to the special architecture of Khorasan. Four plain and short walls, covered with a low-slope dome, were constructed around the building. Afterwards, the name of the mausoleum (Haruniyyeh) was changed and known as the Mashhad-ur-Reza, due to the Holy Imam. Mashhad literally means a place where a martyr has been buried.
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Wikipedia