An imamzadeh () is a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

term with two related meanings: a type of holy person in

Shia Islam Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

, and the

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

of such a person.

Descendant

An imamzadeh is an immediate descendant of a

Shi'i Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood to ...

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

. The term is also used in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and

Azeri Azeri or Azeri Turk may refer to: * Azeri people, an ethnic group also known as Azerbaijanis * Citizens of Azerbaijan * Azeri language, the modern-day Turkic language * Old Azeri, an extinct Iranian language * Azeri Turk (journal), Academic jour ...

. Imamzadeh means "offspring" or descendant of an imam. There are many different ways of spelling the word in English, such as imamzada, imamzadah and emamzadah. 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. There are many important imamzadehs. Two of these are Fātimah bint Mūsā, the sister of Imam

Ali al-Ridha Ali al-Rida (, 1 January 766 – 6 June 818), also known as Abū al-Ḥasan al-Thānī, was a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the eighth imam in Twelver Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Musa al-Kazim. He is also part of th ...

, the eighth

Twelver Twelver Shi'ism (), also known as Imamism () or Ithna Ashari, is the Islamic schools and branches, largest branch of Shia Islam, Shi'a Islam, comprising about 90% of all Shi'a Muslims. The term ''Twelver'' refers to its adherents' belief in twel ...

Imam, and

Zaynab bint Ali Zaynab bint Ali (, ), was the eldest daughter of Fatima and Ali, Ali ibn Abi Talib. The former was a daughter of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the latter was his cousin. Ali is also recognized as the fourth ...

, daughter of

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

, considered by Shi'i Muslims to be the first Imam and by

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Musli ...

s as the fourth

Rashid Rashid or Rachid ( ) and Rasheed ( ), which means "rightly guided", may refer to: *Rashid (name), also Rachid and Rasheed, people with the given name or surname *Rached, a given name and surname *Rashad, a surname *Rishad, a given name Places * ...

. Imamzadehs are not traditionally women.

Shrine tomb

Imamzadeh is also a term for a shrine-tomb of the descendants of Imams, who are directly related to

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. The shrines are only for the descendants of Imams and they are not for the Imams themselves. The shrine-tombs are used as centers of Shi'i devotion and pilgrimage. They are believed to have miraculous properties and the ability to heal. Many of them are located in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

(Saudi Arabia),

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

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. 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.

Popular culture

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 Torbat-e Heydarieh () is a city in the Central District (Torbat-e Heydarieh County), Central District of Torbat-e Heydarieh County, Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the di ...

Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh () is a city in the Central District of Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh County, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of both the county and the district. Demographics Population At the time of the 2006 National Census ...

in Gilan, Astaneh near Arak, and

Shahreza Shahreza () is a city in the Central District of Shahreza County, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Shahreza was selected as the "National City of Pottery" in 1997. The reason for this choice was ...

Notable shrine-tombs

Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine The Shāh Abdol-Azīm Shrine (; ) is a Twelver Twelver Shi'ite funerary monument and religious complex, located in Rey, in the province of Tehran, Iran. The complex contains the tomb of ‘Abdul ‘Adhīm ibn ‘Abdillāh al-Hasanī (aka Sh ...

Imamzadeh Ahmad Imamzadeh Ahmad (; ) is a Shi'ite imamzadeh in Isfahan, Iran. The Imamzadeh comprises a mausoleum, to the north and west of which are two ''iwans''; the tomb faces a vast ''sahn'' where several famous people, like Amir Kabir's daughter and Naser ...

* Tomb of Seyed Alaeddin Husayn * Tomb of Ali ibn Hamzah, Shiraz *

Shah Cheragh The Shah Cheragh (; ) is a Twelver Shi'ite funerary monument and religious complex located in Shiraz, in the province of Fars, Iran. The 12th-century complex is centred around the mausoleum of Sayyid Ahmad, the son of Musa al-Kazim, who is kn ...

* Imamzadeh Esmaeil and Isaiah mausoleum * Imamzadeh Complex, Ganja * Imamzadeh Hamzah, Tabriz * Imamzadeh Hamzeh, Kashmar * Imamzadeh Haroun-e-Velayat * Imamzade Hossein, Qazvin *

Imamzadeh Ja'far, Borujerd The Imāmzādeh Ja‘far (; ) is a Shia Islam, Shi'ite Imamzadeh and mosque, located in Borujerd, Lorestan province, western Iran. The mausoleum contains the remains of Abulqāsim Ja’far ibn al-Husayn, grandson of the Imamah (Shi'a doctrine) ...

Imamzadeh Ja'far, Damghan An imamzadeh () is a Persian language, Persian term with two related meanings: a type of Shia clergy, holy person in Shia Islam, and the shrine-tomb of such a person. Descendant An imamzadeh is an immediate descendant of a Shia, Shi'i Imamah ...

Imamzadeh Ja'far, Isfahan Imamzadeh Ja'far () is a Shia Islam, Shi'ite imamzadeh in Isfahan, Iran. It is located opposite the Emamzadeh Esmaeil, Isfahan, Esmaeil religious complex. It is one of the pre-eminent structures of the Ilkhanid dynasty, Ilkhanid era. It is relat ...

* Imamzadeh Mohammad * Imamzadeh Saleh, Shemiran *

Imamzadeh Seyed Morteza The Imamzadeh Seyed Morteza (; ), or simply Imamzadeh Morteza, is a Shia Islam, Shi'ite imamzadeh located in Kashmar, in the province of Razavi Khorasan province, Razavi Khorasan, Iran. It was completed in 1857 Common Era, CE, during the Qajar I ...

* Imamzadeh Shah Zeyd * Imamzadeh Sultan Mutahhar, in Rudehen, Iran

References

{{Mausoleums in Iran Islamic architecture Islamic pilgrimages Islamic terminology Shia imams Shia Islam Shrines Tombs

Descendant

Shrine tomb

Popular culture

Notable shrine-tombs

See also

References