Building Name: | Imamzadeh Chaharmanar |
Religious Affiliation: | Twelver Shi'a |
Map Type: | Iran |
Map Size: | 275 |
Location: | Tabriz, Iran |
Coordinates: | 38.0818°N 46.2914°W |
Province: | East Azerbaijan province |
Architecture: | yes |
Architecture Type: | mausoleum |
Architecture Style: | Seljuk |
Year Completed: | Built during the Seljuk era, year unknown, and renovated in the Qajar period in 1863 |
Length: | approx. 6 metres |
Dome Quantity: | 1 |
Minaret Quantity: | 4 |
Materials: | brick |
The Imamzadeh Chaharmanar (Persian: امامزاده علی بن مجاهد) also known locally as Imamzadeh Ali ibn Mujaheed is a historic mausoleum located in Tabriz, Iran.[1] It was built during the Seljuk period and is number 651 on Iran's list of national monuments.[2] [3]
The mausoleum contains the tomb of Ali ibn Mujaheed, a descendant of the fourth Ahlulbayt Imam, Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin, as well as two of the rulers of the Rawadid dynasty. The mausoleum is located next to the historic Gharabaghi Mosque, but unlike the mosque, it has been closed since 1965.[4]
The name "Chaharmanar" means "four minarets" in Persian. This is because the mausoleum has four identical minarets on each of its corners.
An inscription on the building gives the first construction to a time during the Seljuk period.[5] In the 11th century, the Rawadid ruler Abu'l-Hayja Mamlan I and his son, Abu Mansur Wahsudan were buried in the mausoleum. The mausoleum also survived the 1721 Tabriz earthquake.
In the year 1863, major repairs were done, under orders of Qajar princess, Zia ol-Saltaneh, daughter of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar.
The place was shut down in 1965, and it has been locked ever since then. Residents of Tabriz complained about the neglect of the mausoleum, and how the Gharabaghi Mosque next to it received renovations and was active[6] in contrast to the mausoleum.[7] In 1975, the government did issue a statement expressing interest in restoring the mausoleum, but not much had been done. The mausoleum was not reopened for public access either.
The mausoleum is a square building made out of brick which has a large dome and four raised minarets, one in each corner. The mausoleum is entered through a door on its southern side. Inside the mausoleum, on the western side, there is an opening in the floor that leads into a basement and cellar. Inside the cellar is the tomb of Ali ibn Mujaheed, and it has a meshed wooden zarih enclosing it.