Mashhad

Mashhad, with a total area of 351 square kilometers, is the second largest city in Iran after Tehran. Due to the existence of shrine of the 8th Imam of Shia in Mashhad, the 30 million passengers go to Mashhad annually.

Mashhad at the time of King Nader was the capital of Iran which led to its high appreciation. King Nader for thanksgiving the victory in various wars made the dome of the shrine of Imam Reza out of gold. In the past, many Jews and Armenians used to live in Mashhad. Jewish houses had very strong tall walls heading in other houses from inside. In 1941, the Armenians of Mashhad built the Holy Mozart Church or the Holy Mary Church. Some historical monuments and ancient works of Mashhad include: the tomb of king Nader, the tomb of Attar, the tomb of Ferdowsi and Harunieh Dome. Mashhad handicraft is weaving carpet dating back to 500 years ago. The oldest carpet in Mashhad belongs to the time of Shah Tahmasb.

Imam Reza Holy Shrine

The tomb of Imam Reza, the 8th Imam of Shiites, is located in the city of Mashhad, which includes the Goharshad Mosque, a museum and four religious science schools. Imam Reza shrine with the area of 1 million square meters is the largest mosque in the world. The oldest part of the shrine dates back to 1230 AD. Different parts of the shrine were constructed and completed during the reign of several kings. Most of the construction work was done during king Tahmasb Afshar’s time. Until now, five mausoleums have been established in this shrine. The initial mausoleum of the shrine was made at the time of Shah Tahmasb out of gold and wood. The second mausoleum was made by the order of Shahrokh Mirza, the grandson of Nasser-al-Din Shah, decorated with pieces of ruby and emerald.

In 1822, Fath-Ali Shah put the third mausoleum with a height of two meters on the top of the second one. The inscription on the mausoleum was adorned with gold, while it had some verses from the Qur’an written on. After a while, they removed and placed it in the shrine museum. Then, in 1959, the fourth mausoleum was replaced with the third one with a height of 4 meters on the second mausoleum. This mausoleum with some golden grape clusters attached to, weighed seven tons and it took three years to be built. The 5th mausoleum weighed 12 tons, out of walnut and steel with a chapter of Quran written on in gold and silver.

The dome is made of two layers and there is a 13 meters empty space between them. The heights of the shrine and the dome are 18 and 30 meters, respectively. King Tahmasb without making changes in the original form of the dome made it with golden billets and decorated minarets with gold. In 1951, Russians shot the dome of shrine, whose impact is still visible. There are 12 minarets in the shrine, with the purpose of being seen and distinguished by visitors due to the existence of high buildings around the mosque. In Imam Reza Shrine, there are two golden minarets decorated with gold.

Goharshad Mosque

This mosque was built in the 9th century AH during the Timurid rule by the request of Goharshad, the wife of Shahrokh Mirza and therefore, named after her. The construction of the mosque lasted 12 years. It contains entrance and exit doors covering an area of 3000 square meters.

Tomb of Nader Shah

The tomb of king Nader was built in Mashhad for his commemoration in 1963. In addition to the tomb of Nader Shah, this tomb contains two museums. One of them is a museum of arms, military clothing and equestrian tools of the time, the images of his wars, a number of manuscripts of the book Tarikh-e Jahangushay (The History of The World Conqueror) of the same period and Nader Shah’s two swords, one of them is the gift of Iranian nation to him. Another museum contains weapons related to different periods of Iran. The tomb of Nader Shah Afshar with and area of 14000 square meters is the second largest tourist destination after the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.

Mohammad Taghi Khan Pesian

Mohammad Taqi Khan Pesian, a Qajar soldier, was the first Iranian trained by piloting lessons. His tomb is located in the north of Nader Shah Shrine. The ancestor of Mohammad Taqi Khan was a resident of the Caucasus who immigrated to Tabriz after the Turkmenchai Agreement and the separation of the Caucasus from Iran. The family of Mohammad Taqi Khan were all military leaders. He studied foreign languages till the age of 15 and entered the military school then. 5 years later, he started his service at the gendarmerie. After a while, he was sent to Hamadan for security, and received a gold medal for his success on the mission. Mohammad Taqi Khan had flown 33 times in German aircrafts in this country and had so much enthusiasm for training Iranian youngsters flight lessons. After returning to Iran, he became colonel and afterwards the gendarme of Khorasan. There were some disputes between the ruler of Khorasan Qavam al-Saltaneh and Mohammad Taqi Khan. By the order of prime minister, Qavam al-Saltaneh was detained and incarcerated and Mohammad Taqi Khan became the military ruler of Khorasan and solved the problems. Later, when Qawam al-Saltanah became prime minister, sought vengeance on the Colonel Mohammad Taqi Khan and wrote his dismissal order to take his two-year salary and go to Europe, but Colonel did not accept. Finally, he got killed in a coup.

Mausoleum of Attar

Attar is an Iranian poet and mystic, in Neyshabur. He had an apothecary store, and was killed during the Mongol invasion in Iran in 1240. His tomb was built several centuries later at the time of Timurian rule. The dome of Attar’s tomb with turquoise-blue tiles is beautiful and eye-catching and has 4 enterances.

Coins and Medals Gallery

The gallery consists of 308 pieces of historical and valuable coins collected by various people from the 4th century to the Safavid period and recent years. Among them, there are coins donated by scientific figures and athletes such as The World Champion Wrestler Takhti. Other valuable existing coins in the gallery are Imam Reza’s, the Prince’s and the Great Alexander’s coins.

hotels

Ghasr-e Talaee Hotel

Ghasr Talaee International Hotel is known as the best and most luxurious hotel in Iran, due to its pleasant environment and superior quality of service. The hotel has an area of over 5,000 square meters (54,000 ft²) built on 70,000 square meters (753,000 ft²) and made up of 2 main infrastructures. Rising 20-stories above Imam Reza Ave, the same avenue as Imam Reza’s Holy Shrine, it features state-of-the-art equipment and profound Middle Eastern architectural structures. The property consists of 610 residential units including the Imperial Suite, Presidential Suite, Princess Suite, Royal Suite, Standard Suites, double rooms, and single rooms. All rooms are tastefully designed by top interior decorators in the nation. Samen Alhojaj’s Holy Shrine is within view from some rooms, which will undoubtedly create indescribable memories.

Atrak Hotel

The Atrak Hotel is proud to be the first 4-star hotel in Mashhad in 1357. During these years, the total power of the management and personnel of the complex has been focused on increasing the satisfaction of renowned guests, where in 1394, with the opening of a new phase of luxury rooms and specific hosts are their valued guests.

Atrak Hotel with a very suitable location and having rooms like special and standard dormitories, suites and single rooms, single and double rooms, and 3-bedroom luxury apartments and services such as Rome 24-hour room service, private parking, wireless internet access at all floors, the traditional restaurant and the open air, airport shuttle and special taxi service, a dedicated movie player system can made a very pleasant and enjoyable trip for the guests of Imam Reza Shrine.