Tomb of Sheikh Heydar
After the Mongol invasion of Persia and during the Ilkhanate period, Ardabil province became one of the important centers of Sufism in the country and important families appeared in this area.
The Safavid family was one of them, who gained many fans in Ardabil before reaching the throne.
According to the mentioned materials, a large number of tombs of Safavid nobles are located in Ardabil. One of the most famous of them is the Tomb of Sheikh Heydar (father of Shah Ismail) in Meshginshahr (in Ardabil province), which today is only considered a historical monument. Because his grave is not there and it was not even built for him.
What do you know about the history of Tomb of Sheikh Heydar?
It is very important to know that this building was built at the end of the Ilkhanate period and it was probably considered the burial place of one of the elders of Ardabil. This information came after the discovery and reading of an old inscription inside the structure, which shows that this building was built in 731 AH, that is, 120 years before the birth of Sheikh Heydar.
In addition, it has many similarities with other tombs of Ilkhanate period throughout Iran. But according to historians, after Sheikh Heyder was killed in the battlefield, he was buried in this tomb. After the Safavid dynasty came to power, Shah Ismail ordered his father's grave to be moved to the Sheikh Safi Al-Din Ardabili's Shrine (in the city of Ardabil), who was the first head of the Safavid family. But due to the respect of the kings, this monument remained standing until today, with restoration, it has been registered in Iran National Heritage List and is considered an important tourist destination of Ardabil province.
Appearance and structural characteristics of Sheikh Heyder's tomb:
This is a collection of all kinds of important Iranian-Islamic architecture elements;A circular tower with a height of 19 meters, whose diameter is more than 10 meters and is based on a stone foundation. On the top of this two-story tower (in which the staircase and the cellar are located), there is a 12-sided dome, which some believe was made of gold in the Safavid era, but during the Russian attacks, this dome was damaged with a cannon and stolen.
Inside the mausoleum, 6 graves can be seen in the center and next to the stone pillar and one grave at the end of the cellar. The materials used are mainly mortar and bricks.But the important part of this building is its beautiful decorations, which in addition to the visual beauty, also make the building stronger. The blue and white tiles decorated with verses of the Quran and the name of God in Kufic script are the decoration of the exterior of the tower.Of course, it should be said that the blue tiles are stretched around the building in the form of a strip with a width of 30 cm, and it is the boundary between the dome and the main structure. Among other attractions of this tomb, brickwork and muqarnsas have been used, which evokes the nostalgic feeling of the golden age of Islam.
Sheikh Haider's mausoleum is a structure linked to the Safavids, which takes you back to the past 700 years!!!
Tags: Ardabil Attractions , Ardabil Province, Tomb, Towers in Iran, Tombs in iran, Historical Tombs in Iran, Ardabil Attractions
