Mount Chehel Maqam

🧭What kind of place is it?

Chehel Maqam is also known as Chehel Tanan. Its slopes are rocky with few plants, and a paved road climbs up beside one slope. From its heights you can see the Allah-o Akbar gorge and the city's entrance by the Quran Gate.

🏛️What was it built for?

Gahvareh Did was built to guard the entrance to Shiraz; fires were lit on this mountain to send signals to the city. Today people come here mostly for short hikes and to look at the view over the city's entrance.

👀What you will see

• Gahvareh Did, the chahartaqi on the mountain, is built of rough stone and sarooj and has a conical dome.
• The Mortaz Ali Well is on the same mountain, and a paved road climbs to near it.
• From the top of the mountain, the Quran Gate lies right in front of you.

💡Something interesting

Local people say Karim Khan Zand placed a stone on this mountain that is known today as the tomb of Shah Shoja. An old tale also holds that Gahvareh Did is the tomb of a mystic called Shams Pahlavan, and says that Shah Nematollah Vali stayed there for a while when he came to Shiraz.

🎒Good to know before you go

• Wear comfortable shoes and bring water for the climb; the slopes have little shade.
• Don't write anything on the walls of Gahvareh Did; graffiti is one of the kinds of damage this building has suffered.