An imamzadeh is a Persian term with two related meanings: a type of holy person in Shia Islam, and the shrine-tomb of such a person.
Firstly, it means an immediate descendant of a Shi'i Imam. The term is also used in Urdu and Azeri. Imamzadeh means "offspring" or descendant of an imam. There are many different ways of spelling the word in English,[1] such as imamzada, imamzadah and emamzadah.[2] [3] Imamzadeh are basically the Syed's or Syeda's as they have descended from the Imams. Imamzadehs are also sayyids, though not all sayyids are considered imamzadehs.[3]
There are many important imamzadehs. Two of these are Fātimah bint Mūsā, the sister of Imam Ali al-Ridha, the eighth Twelver Imam, and Zaynab bint Ali, daughter of Ali, considered by Shi'i Muslims to be the first Imam and by Sunni Muslims as the fourth Rashid. Imamzadehs are not traditionally women.[3]
Secondly, imamzadeh is a term for a shrine-tomb of the descendants of Imams, who are directly related to Muhammad.[1] These shrines are only for the descendants of Imams and they are not for the Imams themselves.[3] These shrine-tombs are used as centers of Shi'i devotion and pilgrimages. They are believed to have miraculous properties and the ability to heal.[4] Many of them are located in Iraq, Medina, India and Iran.
Many people visit the imamzadehs that are relatively close to them. There are also special ziyarat-namas (pilgrimages) for many of the imamzadehs. Some of these pilgrimages even happen annually during the certain time of year.[3] Some of the imamzadehs are not as well kept as others. According to Reinisch, an imamzadeh that he saw was mostly in ruins, though it is still important.[5]
The Imamzadehs were so influential that some cities or parts of cities are named after the Imamzadehs who are buried there, for example, Torbat-e Heydarieh, Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh in Gilan, Astaneh near Arak, and Shahreza.[8]