Iran Daily wrote on Tuesday:
A second aspect is that, like other centers of the Iranian Plateau, Shiraz is surrounded by mountains, providing the supply of water for the city and the agricultural development of its hinterland, via a network of small non-perennial rivers and qanats. Third, Shiraz and Isfahan share a comparable chronology of urbanization. Despite the longstanding occupation of the valley, attested by the nearby vestiges of Qasr-e Abunasr, the site of an ancient settlement in Shiraz, it was not until the ninth to 10th centuries that the former Arab military camp was rapidly transformed as a major regional metropolis. Fourth, Shiraz resembles Isfahan in appearance: Both are encircled by ramparts constructed during the Buyid Period (934-1062 CE). Lastly, its role as a power center resembles that of other regional centers such as Merv, Hamedan, Tabriz and Isfahan.
In fact, Shiraz served as the capital in successive periods: The Buyids in the 10th and 11th century CE, the Salghurids in the 12th and 13th centuries CE following the collapse of Seljuk Dynasty and the Injuids in 14th century CE, subsequent to the Ilkhanid Dynasty.
Nevertheless, Shiraz is different from other cities in terms of its reputation, at least as concerns the manner in which it is lauded in the sources. It is known as the city of poets, renowned in particular thanks to the works of Sa’di (1210-1292 CE) and Hafez (1315-1390 CE).
The city is also noted for its sanctity owing to the many mausoleums dedicated to the descendants of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Imam Ali (PBUH) the first Imam of Shia Muslims.
Before discussing the city’s spiritual landscape, we must examine its topography. The works initiated by Karim Khan Zand in the 18th century CE transformed the urban topography remarkably, meaning that any reconstruction can only be approximate.
The most remarkable feature of the city was its fortification, parts of which dated to the 10th century CE, when Shiraz was the capital of the Buyid Dynasty.
The chronicles mention destruction of the fortification on several occasions. The damage was undoubtedly partial, and sources also note the efforts of city inhabitants and local princes to reinforce it against potential enemies.
The city gates, recorded as a total of nine in the 14th century, are again frequently mentioned, and serve as important landmarks in localization of infrastructure. The urban fabric was divided into several neighborhoods.
Old and new mosques
Atiq Jaame Mosque was located in the heart of the city. According to the historians, the Saffarid ruler Amr ibn al-Layth (879-902 CE) had heard of a pious woman from Sarvestan (a town located east of Shiraz), who had many palm trees, all lawfully gained. He sent an emissary to buy them from her for the construction of the mosque, but the woman refused any money, saying that the act of her gift was "for the sake of God". He eventually accepted the trees and completed the mosque. More than two centuries later, the mosque was embellished by an unnamed Salghurid governor. He had made two silver rings, which were sent to Mecca to be blessed by “the hands of the friends of God” in the holy city.
No religious edifice other than the Atiq Mosque afforded highly detailed description in the local historiography.
In front of the shrine of Ahmad ibn Musa, brother of Imam Reza (PBUH) the eighth Imam of Shias, and to the west of the original mosque, a mosque, known as New Mosque or Atabak Mosque, was constructed by order of Atabak Abubakr Sa'd ibn Zangi (1231–1260 CE). According to a popular belief reported in the 19th century CE, the cypresses planted in the courtyard of the mosque were more than 600 years old.
Holy shrines
According to the local sources, after the martyrdom of Imam Reza (PBUH), three of his brothers, Hussein, Ahmad and Muhammad sought refuge in Shiraz after the ‘betrayal’ of the Abbasid caliph Ma’mun.
Beginning in the 13th century CE, the shrine of Ahmad ibn Musa, known as Shah Cheragh, became the most venerated holy site for the people of Shiraz. Shah Cheragh became a sacred space renowned as a place of benedictions. It attracted many pious visitors, as well as Shirazi people, engaged in continuous recitation of the Holy Qur’an.
In his 14th century description of the shrines of the city, Ibn Battuta (1304-1369 CE), the author of the most famous mediaeval travel account, noted that the most important was that of Ahmad ibn Musa. He wrote that “his mausoleum is venerated by the inhabitants of the city.
The shrine of Muhammad ibn Musa, brother of Ahmad, is also situated in the city center, near the grand bazaar.
The mausoleum of the third brother, Hussein ibn Musa, is situated in an old neighborhood of the city. It is surrounded by pleasant gardens, with fruit trees of all kinds. This characteristic is typical of shrines, which often demonstrate privileged relationships with nature and often situated near a hillock or source of pure water.
The shrines of the most celebrated spiritual figures of Islam, and the tombs of the holy men recognized for exemplary conduct, are suffused with sacredness.
Shiraz had numerous renowned shrines and smaller graves. Distinctive sites integrated with the natural landscape, both within and beyond the city walls.
The city was the site of shrines to anonymous personages, such as the “Seven Men” (Haft Tanan) and “Forty People” (Chehel Tanan). These saints, who entered into the spiritual hierarchy of Sufi Islam, were considered the “guardians of the territory”.
The spiritual landscape of the medieval city, in addition to the mosques and the shrines with origins marked by supernatural and indeed miraculous features, was also integrated with mausoleums of other illustrious Shirazi people.
Tombs of poets
In Shiraz, city of the poetic arts, there were numerous tombs of poets which attracted popular devotion. They were situated outside the city, in gardens where families went to relax. Regrettably, the medieval sources offer little on the popular practices associated with these tombs.
The tomb of Hafez was situated northeast of the city in Musalla Garden. This place was often cited in the poems of Hafez.
William Francklin (1763-1839 CE) recorded the religious practices of the people of Shiraz in regard to the shrines of the city’s emblematic poets. At the tomb of Sa’di, visitors laid flowers and left prayer beads and other objects of piety, or place a copy of Divan of Sa’di on the marble tomb. He noted similar practices at the shrine of Hafez. Shirazi people loved to visit the tomb of this poet in spring and summer.
The above is a lightly edited version of a chapter of ‘Cities of Medieval Iran’, edited by David Durand-Guedy, Roy P. Mottahedeh and Jürgen Paul and published by Brill, a Dutch international academic publisher, in 2020.
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