Shah charagh Shrine : A symbol of shia identity

Even around the last years of Prophet Mohammad peace upon his life, there were some problems between the disciples of his in old Saudi Arabia. After the prophet's death, some of his followers and disciples believed that his cousin imam Ali peace upon him is the first khalifa or leader in the Islamic world and the others believed in the other friend and disciple , Imam  Omar , as the first successor of the future of Islam. The first group is known as shia and they are like orthodox in Christianity and the other group known as Sunny , it means they are fundamentalists and following the very roots of Islam and the lifestyle of prophet Mohammad the great ruler of Islam religion. The shia people believe that after Mohammad the first Imam known as Imam Ali is the eligible successor of shia hierarchy and after him 11 Imams or leaders as his generation ruled the Islamic world until the 12th Imam or Imam Mahdi who is in the shade and the shia people believe some day after his resurrection the world will be cleaned from sins and he will rule the world in a peaceful manner and this last forever.
History of Shahcheragh Shrine
As mentioned above the shia faction in Islam believe in 12 Imam which the last one is hidden from the eyes of the world and the Eighth one who was assassinated in north east of Iran in Mashhad city and known as Imam Reza . he has a great position in shia world especially in Iran which his Shrine in Mashhad is like a great palace-museum and a holly place that each year millions of people from shia world visit it and they believe in his blessing . 
The eighth Imam had a sister which is buried in Qom city near Tehran the capital and a brother which is buried in Shiraz and his shrine known as “Shah-E-Cheragh” in Shiraz.
This Shrine After the shrine of “Hazrat-E-Masoumeh” and shrine of “Imam Reza” in Mashhad is one of  the third most important shrines in Iran and the Middle East.
Actually the brother of Imam Reza whose  name was “Ahmad ibn musa kazem” was assassinated during Imam Reza life and because of political reasons his place of death and his grave was unknown to the people.
According to stories and theories , the shah cheragh shrine is the place of his burial and there is a story that an old woman during  Deilamis dynasty had the same dream for nights which in it very near her residence and on top of a dune there is a flame and light and each time she intended to reach the point of light, the flame and light put out immediately and she could not reach and approach the place and position of light. Some people told this story to the king and as he was skeptical that this is a kind of fraud and the old woman wants to earn money and wealth in this way, He as the king intended to spend one night in the old woman's house. When he was in deep sleep, the old woman found out the light was illuminating again. So she rushed to the king and said “ Shahe Cheragh”. The king woke up and ran to the dune to find the light but each time he rushed to the place the light disappeared and he could not have the chance to find the source of light. He did this 7 times until dawn , when the king got tired and the next day ordered to dig the earth to find the source of light in the place. When the workers dug the land deep they found a room and a grave where on the gravestone a corpse was sleeping without the trace of deterioration after many years. It means the body was in good condition and His body was totally fresh , it was like a miracle.
The king had a dream and in his daydream he saw that he was in the shah cheragh shrine of Imam Ahmad ibn musa Kazem and he named that day as a holiday and ordered to make a very big, beautiful and respected building as Imams shrine which was the core of today’s Shiraz Shah Cheragh shrine.
Religious and cultural importance of Shahcheragh shrine
Shia people as other orthodox believers are very strict followers of imams in Islam and because the 8th Imam or Imam Reza is buried in Mashhad, they respect his brother in Shiraz and Shiraz shah cheragh in a very specific manner. Many people in Shiraz believe in this place in a way they should visit and touch this place weekly or even daily and they are very proud of this holy place in their own city Shiraz.
Shah cheragh shrine in shiraz is such an important place which is as huge as a small city and it is growing each year by donating the land and money to the government to expand it and renovate the old parts of the shrine. This shrine is not just a simple structure and it is like a very sophisticated place which own even University, library, museum, hospital and clinics, residential and accommodation, conference hall, congregational centers, kitchens, public bath, religious congregation centers, orphanages and children support center, religious music classes, guards and protection centers and many other functional facilities which made it unique like a holy city and each year millions of religious pilgrims visit and donate millions of dollars to this holy shrine to expand and renovate and they believe in the other world god will compensate their acts in best way. So in the eyes of shia people visiting this holy shrine would be a blessing by god thousands of times and because of this shiraz is one of the holy cities and has a great importance in the shia world after Mashhad city and Qom which is near Tehran the capital of Islamic republic of Iran.
Architecture of Shahcheragh Shrine
The Architecture of Shiraz shahcheragh and its unique design follows the regular structure of holy shrines of other imams buried In Iran. The basic design is like the other four Ivan mosques which are rectangular and in normal situations the shrine building is located in the middle. In this case the original and main shrine is located in the middle on a platform nearly one meter above the main level. On three sides there are four open halls for the people to stay and there is a big mosque in the backyard. The original main yard is vast to accept thousands of pilgrims to pray especially in religious events and in the middle of the main yard there is a very vast and shallow pool ornamented by tiles and fountains in the middle. In old times people used this water to ablution and clean themselves but today because of hygiene matters there are water tubing and taps to use water and the water in the pool and the water in the tubing system are separated. At the end of the yard there is a big water distribution center to provide clean and disinfected fresh water to drink. Thousands of pilgrims visit this very holy place during the year. In this place there are huge refrigerators to cool down the hot water in the tubing of the hot land of Shiraz and there are free disposable plastic and paper cups stocked there to use and all of these facilities established by donation of people and all the services are free in charge.
On many afternoons and nights people and pilgrims in special events are served by the shrine budget in the form of lunch , dinner, breakfast and even by sweets and sherbet.
Shiraz shahcheragh shrine has a very specific turnip form dome on the main grave and its form and ornaments and tiles are unique. Around the yard and main structure there are hundreds of rooms and facilities and an interesting museum which all of them are ornamented by wood, mirrors and silver ornamented forms. Most of these rooms and halls are for official reasons and to serve pilgrims and people who need help during their stay in Shiraz Shahcheragh.
The main yard has 5 gates, two of them end to the old bazar and old mosque in the north and one door ends to the old part of the city as the shrine is located in suburbs of the city now and today.
Attractions around Shahcheragh
As mentioned above inside shah cheragh shrine there is a very interesting structure ornamented by tiles, broken mirrors, woodworking and silver structures and even gold plated ornaments, but outside the shrine you can find a very old fashion Bazar which you can find and buy souvenirs and other needs as a tourist or resident. This old bazar is renovating and you can find many interesting goods to buy for yourself or your family. In the bazar there are many restaurants and old fashion teahouses and other facilities the pilgrims need during their visit shahcheragh shrine.
One of the other attractions around shahcheragh is an old mosque and a Bazar named Bazar haji. Today there are many old fashion boutique hotels accommodating pilgrims and many modern shops and shopping malls which are made to supply the needs of millions of tourists and pilgrims who visit this holy shrine during the year.
Shahcheragh throughout history
As mentioned above the Shahchergh shrine changed many times, was destroyed by earthquake and renovated again and changed hundreds of times during the long history of Shahcheragh. But the main change took place during Safavid and Qajar’s era.
After the revolution many lands around the shrine were added to the main structure and the government spent billions of dollars to modernize and renovate the old fashioned shrine and give more space and facilities to pilgrims who visit shahcheragh during the year.
Today this huge complex is getting bigger and bigger and attracts millions of tourists and religious or normal tourists each year. The prospect of the future of Shahcheragh is bright and the government spent huge amounts of money to expand this holy structure as a big target for the future of tourism in Fars province and Shiraz.
As mentioned above this place is located in the suburbs and it is busy and crowded all the time. Finding the best time and best way to reach the holy shrine of Shah Cheragh needs experience and it is better as a guide to explain all details and it is not possible unless you know everything abouVisiting the shrine of Shah cheragh
Visiting shahcheragh Shiraz shrine is very attractive not only for local and national tourist but fortunately because this holy place is open to public and international and non-Muslim visitors, shahcheragh Shiraz is an attractive target for all tourists who are visiting Shiraz during the year.
There is no restrictions for tourists who intend to visit shahcheragh Shiraz and this holy place is open to public 24 hours of day and it is more interesting to visit this holy place in the nights as the electric lamps and projectors are illuminating the whole structure and make it more beautiful in the night. Because of narrow roads it is better you find a guide as a leader who knows all the traditions and crossroads specially during noon and night because millions of tourists rush to visit the shahcheragh shrine to make prayers and visit holy shrine in special events.
As a tour guide I recommend you ask a professional to arrange your visit to the holy shrine as it is crowded all the time especially in some holy events of the year. Our people on sanapersian team are ready to arrange a tour to visit holy shrine of shahcheragh Shiraz and support you to have a memorable time visiting Shahcehragh shiraz and enjoy your stay and get more familiar by shia and shiism traditions during your visit in shiraz. We are looking forward to seeing you soon in Iran, Shiraz and the Holy shrine of Shah Cheragh .