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Mashhad

No reviews yetCity Razavi Khorasan, Iran
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Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, IranImam Reza Shrine, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, IranImam Reza Shrine, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, IranImam Reza Shrine, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, IranImam Reza Shrine, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

About Mashhad

Every year millions of pilgrims make their way to Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city, to pray at the golden-domed shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia imam, who died here in 818. The city's name means place of martyrdom, and life still revolves around the immense shrine complex at its heart, which glows with light and fills with worshippers late into the night.

Mashhad lies in the far northeast of Iran, close to Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, in the province of Khorasan, which grows most of the world's saffron. Its bazaars are heaped with saffron, barberries, dried fruit and turquoise, and the local table is known for hearty dishes such as sholeh, a slow-cooked stew of grains, beans and meat.

Beyond the shrine, Mashhad offers Timurid tilework, the mausoleum of the warrior king Nader Shah and leafy parks, while just outside the city the poet Ferdowsi rests in a stately tomb at ancient Tus. The foothill towns of Torghabeh and Shandiz make a cool evening escape. Women must cover their hair throughout Iran, and a chador is required inside the shrine.

Best seasonApril-May and September-October
Ideal stay2-3 days
ArrivingMashhad International Airport; overnight trains from Tehran

10 Reasons to Visit Mashhad

Religious Sites 2

Imam Reza Shrine, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Imam Reza Shrine

The holiest site in Iran and one of the largest religious complexes in the world, the shrine of Imam Reza spreads across vast cour...
Goharshad Mosque, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Goharshad Mosque

Commissioned in 1418 by Goharshad, wife of the Timurid ruler Shah Rukh, this mosque within the shrine complex is a masterpiece of...

Museums 1

Astan Quds Razavi Central Museum, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Astan Quds Razavi Central Museum

Inside the shrine complex, this museum displays gifts made to the shrine over many centuries, including fine Persian carpets, illu...

Landmarks 2

Tomb of Ferdowsi, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Tomb of Ferdowsi

In the gardens of ancient Tus, northwest of Mashhad, lies Ferdowsi, the poet who completed the Shahnameh, Iran's national epic, ar...
Nader Shah Mausoleum, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Nader Shah Mausoleum

Nader Shah, the 18th-century ruler whose campaigns reached as far as Delhi, is honoured by a striking modernist mausoleum complete...

History 2

Haruniyeh Dome, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Haruniyeh Dome

A short drive from Ferdowsi's tomb, this tall brick building with a pointed dome and a grand entrance arch is one of the few survi...
Tomb of Khajeh Rabi, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Tomb of Khajeh Rabi

Set in a large garden cemetery on the northern edge of the city, this octagonal Safavid tomb honours Khajeh Rabi, a companion of I...

Parks 1

Kooh Sangi Park, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Kooh Sangi Park

At the southern end of the city, a rocky granite hill rises from this popular park, with stairways and paths climbing to viewpoint...

Shopping 1

Bazaar Reza, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Bazaar Reza

A short walk from the shrine, this long covered bazaar is where pilgrims stock up before heading home. Hundreds of shops sell saff...

Food and Drink 1

Torghabeh and Shandiz, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan, Iran

Torghabeh and Shandiz

West of the city, the foothill towns of Torghabeh and Shandiz are where Mashhad residents escape the summer heat. Shandiz is famou...

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Photo credits

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Photo: علیرضا خورسندی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Amir t63, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: علیرضا خورسندی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: علیرضا خورسندی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Nader Rajabnezhad (designed by Hooshang Seyhoun), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: علیرضا خورسندی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: علیرضا خورسندی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: علیرضا خورسندی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: علیرضا خورسندی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: ‫سید محمود جوادی‬‎, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: ‫سید محمود جوادی‬‎, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: ‫سید محمود جوادی‬‎, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: ‫سید محمود جوادی‬‎, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0