Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine

🕰️When was it built?

The tomb has a long history and was altered under the Buyids and the Seljuks. Important parts of the courtyard and iwan date from the Safavid period. The Qajars enlarged the complex, and the dome was covered in gold under Naser al-Din Shah.

🏛️What was it built for?

The complex grew up for pilgrims visiting the tomb of Abd al-Azim al-Hasani and the two imamzadehs beside him. Abd al-Azim was a narrator of hadith and a descendant of Imam Hasan who came to Rey and died here. Over time the area around the shrine also became a burial place for many people.

👀What you will see

• The main tomb chamber is square at the bottom and, through corner squinches, becomes octagonal and then sixteen-sided.
• The dome sits on this many-sided base, and the space beneath it is covered in mirror work.
• The tomb chest is dated 725 AH (1324–25) and is one of the oldest pieces in the complex.
• Wooden panels dated 848 AH (1444–45) are fixed to later doors, so the writing is older than the doors themselves.
• A wooden door between the north portico and the women's mosque, dated 904 AH (1498–99), is made in the Timurid style.

💡Something interesting

From outside the building is known by its dome, but beneath it the geometry changes step by step. The builders turned the square base into a footing fit for a dome through several tiers of arches and sides.

🎒Good to know before you go