Building Name: | Chahar Padshahan |
Religious Affiliation: | Twelver Shi'a, Zaydi Shi'a |
Map Type: | Iran |
Map Size: | 275 |
Location: | Lahijan, Iran |
Coordinates: | 37.2036°N 49.9985°W |
Province: | Gilan |
Architecture: | yes |
Architecture Type: | mausoleum |
Architecture Style: | Safavid |
Year Completed: | 13th-century origin; current structure is a Safavid-era building |
Materials: | clay brick |
Chahar Padshahan (fa|مسجد چهار پادشاهان, "Four Kings") is the name of a historic mausoleum in Lahijan, Iran, where four rulers of the Karkiya dynasty are buried.[1] [2] It is number 322 on the list of national monuments of Iran. Despite being intended as a mausoleum, the Chahar Padshahan is also used as a mosque.
The building was originally a mausoleum for the ancestor of the Karkiya dynasty, Seyyed Karkiya, who died in 1250, and a tomb was established for him immediately after he died. After the demise of Karkiyid ruler Ali-Kiya, he was buried in the mausoleum too, next to Seyyed Karkiya. Then his son, Reza-Kiya, was buried there next to him, following him, his brother Razi-Kiya was also buried there, next to him. The Karkiyid ruler Hady-Kiya helped to expand and renovate the mausoleum where he buried his brothers in. During the Safavid period (before Shah Abbas' rule) the mausoleum was constructed and expanded. At some point, during the era of the Qajar rule, the mausoleum was renovated and tiled up.
The main building of Chahar Padshahan is rectangular, with four rooms, and as well as a porch facing the north direction. The building has two main entrances, and the main building, the mausoleum itself, is located on the south side of the yard. The entrance doors are made of polished wood.[3] This building is tiled extensively, with the tilework dating back to the Qajar period. The Karkiyid rulers are buried in a central room. In this room, their graves are enclosed by a wooden zarih. The larger room, next to the tomb room, is used as a prayer hall for a mosque.