Mashhad, IRNA – The mausoleum of prominent Persian Poet Abolghasem Ferdowsi is one of national and even international historical monuments, which is of great importance in the eyes of Iranian and foreign visitors because of the poet’s critical role in maintaining Persian language.
The mausoleum is located in Tous, an ancient city with thousands of covert history. The proximity of Tous with Mashhad city, where is burial place of Imam Reza (PBUH) who is the eighth Imam in Shia Islam, adds to its significance, because millions of pilgrims travel to the holy city and they also pay a visit to Tous in order to see the tomb of the great Persian poet as well.
Tous city also hosts graves of well-known Iranian Shia scholars such as Khajeh Nasiruddin Tousi, Imam Mohammad Ghazali Tousi and Daghighi Tousi.
Tous historical city, which has been registered on National Heritage List of Iran, was a set of villages such as Tous, Noghan and Sanabad in the second century AH.
Renovation of Tous city was ordered by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on July 9, 1996.
The idea of construction of a glorious mausoleum for Ferdowsi dates back to 1926, when some Iranian thinkers and scholars pushed for such a move ahead of a millennium congress to commemorate Ferdowsi in 1934.
Unfortunately, there are limited data on Karim Taherzadeh Behzad, who was the main engineer of the mausoleum. While some websites such as Wikipedia have introduced Hossein Lorzadeh as the engineer of Ferdowsi Mausoleum, which is totally wrong.
In the year 1926, the Society for the National Heritage of Iran suggested that the mausoleum can be unveiled simultaneous with Ferdowsi Millennium Congress in 1934.
Engineer Seyhoun is the final designer of the mausoleum, who combined ancient Iranian and Islamic design to create what is today seen as the Ferdowsi Mausoleum.
Tourists can visit Tabaran Historical Museum in Tous, which possesses precious treasures and receives tourists during the Persian New Year (Nowruz) holidays.
Inscription of the historical city and Ferdowsi Mausoleum on the UNESCO World Heritage List is expected by Iranians; so, the relevant administrative entities are busy to prepare a dossier to this end.
Source: Islamic Republic News Agency – IRNA
