Shah Cheragh Shrine

🕰️When was it built?

The shrine was built in the 6th century AH (12th century), under the Atabegs of Fars. In the 8th century AH (14th century) Tashi Khatun enlarged the tomb and built a madrasa beside it. Earthquakes damaged the building several times and led to its rebuilding. The tile design of the dome, made in 1960 and 1961, was the work of Isa Bahadori.

🏛️What was it built for?

The complex is the shrine of Ahmad ibn Musa, son of Imam Musa al-Kazim, and his brother Mohammad ibn Musa. Ahmad's tomb is on the west side of the courtyard, and his brother's tomb was built on the north-east side of the same courtyard.

👀What you will see

• The inside of the shrine is covered with tiny coloured mirrors, with Persian and Arabic inscriptions around them.
• The iron columns of the iwan are cased in wood, and the iwan's flat ceiling is decorated with carved wood.
• The silver zarih, or grille, of Ahmad ibn Musa stands in a shahneshin directly under the dome.
• Two large tiled portals on the north and south lead into a courtyard with a fountain pool and trees in the middle.
• Two-storey rooms line the courtyard, with tilework on their fronts and on the piers in front of them.

💡Something interesting

There is a local story about the name Shah Cheragh. It is said an old woman saw a light on a hill at night, and when Azod al-Dowleh came to see it, she cried out: Shah, cheragh (King, a lamp). When the hill was dug up, a crypt was found. This story is the tale of how the shrine got its name.