Shah Cheragh

The Shah Cheragh (Persian: شاه چراغ, romanized: Shāh-é-Chérāgh, lit. 'King of Light') is a Twelver Shia funerary monument and religious complex located in Shiraz, in the province of Fars, Iran. The 12th-century complex is centred around the mausoleums of Ahmad ibn Musa and Mir Muhammad ibn Mussa, two sons of the seventh Shia Imam Musa al-Kazim. Ahmad is known as Shah Cheragh (King of Light) in traditions, and hence the building's name.¹²³ The complex was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 10 June 1942, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran. The complex is a holy site in Shia Islam.

History

Archaeological excavation indicates that there was a settlement on the site of Shiraz in the prehistoric period and cuneiform records from Persepolis, 57 kilometres (35 mi) to the north, show that Shiraz was a significant town in Achaemenian times. As a city however, it was founded in 684 CE, after the Arab armies conquered the Sassanians. The Buyids (945-1055 CE) made Shiraz their capital, building mosques, palaces and a great city wall. The 13th and 14th centuries saw Shiraz as a literary center, especially famous for poets and , both of whom are buried in the city. There are many splendid Islamic monuments in Shiraz, especially its enormous . Following the Abbasid persecution of the Shi'ite sect, Sayyid Ahmad ibn Musa (also known as Seyyed Amir Ahmad) and his brother, , both of whom were brothers of , took refuge in Shiraz. Amir Ahmad died or was murdered in 835 CE. The first structure over his grave, a simple domed mausoleum, was built in the 13th century during the rule of the , by the minister, a former prince, attributed to Atabak Sa'ad Ebn-e-Zangi.