Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine

The Shāh Abdol-Azīm Shrine (Persian: شاه عبدالعظیم; Arabic: مرقد الشاه عبد العظيم الحسني)^[a] is a Twelver Shi'ite funerary monument and religious complex, located in Rey, in the province of Tehran, Iran. The complex contains the tomb of ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Hasanī^[4] (aka Shah Abdol Azim). Shah Abdol Azim was a fifth generation descendant of Hasan ibn ‘Alī^[4] and a companion of Muhammad al-Taqī.^[4] He was entombed here after his death in the 9th century CE.

Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine
شاه عبدالعظیم
Religion
Affiliation	Shia (Twelver)
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mosque and imamzadeh complex
Status	Active
Location
Location	Rey, Ray County, Tehran Province
Country	Iran
Location of the funerary complex in Iran
Geographic coordinates	35°35′08″N 51°26′07″E
Architecture
Type	Islamic architecture
Style	Ilkhanid Safavid Qajar
Completed	9th century CE
Specifications
Dome(s)	One
Minaret(s)	Two
Sahn and iwan portal
Iran National Heritage List
Official name	Shāh Abdol-Azīm Shrine
Type	Built
Designated	1942
Reference no.	406
Conservation organization	Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran

Adjacent to the shrine, within the complex, are the mausolea of Imamzadeh Tahir (son of the fourth Shia Imam Sajjad) and Imamzadeh Hamzeh (brother of the eighth Twelver Imām - Imām Reza).

The complex was added to the Iran National Heritage List in 1942, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran. The complex is one of the holiest sites in Twelver Shi'ism.

Background

Abdol Azim migrated to Ray out of persecution^[4] and subsequently died there. A piece of paper was found in his pocket outlining his ancestry as being: ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm son of ‘Abdillāh son of ‘Alī son of Hasan son of Zayd son of Hasan ibn ‘Alī.^[4] Shah Abdol Azim was sent to Ray (modern-day Tehran) by Imam Reza.

History and design

Ibn Qūlawayh al-Qummī (d. 978 CE) "includes the shrine in his Kāmil al-Ziyārāt, one of the earliest pilgrimage guides for the Shiʿa, which suggests that the tomb of ʿAbd al-Aẓīm was already of some importance by the tenth century."^[5][6] The tomb of Abdol-Azim had also come under the patronage of Sunni rulers at times, a notable example being the mausoleum constructed over Abdol-Azim's tomb in the 1090s CE by orders of the Seljuk vizier Majd al-Mulk Asʿad b. Muḥammad b. Mūsā.^{[7][8][9][10]}

This door has an inscription in Thulth script.

Notable burials

Main article: List of burials at Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine

In addition to Abdol-Azim al-Hassani, the shrine is the burial site for many notable individuals, including members of the Qajar family, and many notable political figures, scholars, and clerics, from the Medieval period to contemporary times.

Gallery

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See also

• Shia Islam portal
• Iran portal

• Shia Islam in Iran
• List of imamzadehs in Iran
• List of mosques in Iran
• Holiest sites in Shia Islam
  • Tomb of Ali ibn Hamzah, Shiraz
  • Tomb of Seyed Alaeddin Husayn

Notes

1. Also known as Shabdolazim,^[1][2][3] and the Shah Abdolazim Shrine.