The Darb-e Imam (; ) is a Twelver Islam Shia Islam Imamzadeh complex located in the Dardasht quarter of Esfahan, in the province of Isfahan Province, Iran. The complex comprises two shrines, a mosque, a mausoleum, and a royal cemetery.
The complex was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 13 December 1934, administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.
History
The first building in the complex was built during the rule of the
Qara Qoyunlu in 1453
Common Era, as an Imamzadeh shrine dedicated to two saints, "Ibrahim al-Batha" and "Zayn al-Abidin" who were believed to have been descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib through Ja'far al-Sadiq.
The construction of the Imamzadeh was ordered by the son of
Jahan Shah, the ruler of Qara Qoyunlu at the time.
After the Imamzadeh's construction was completed, many princes belonging to the
Safavid dynasty were buried next to the place, along with princes of
Mongol descent.
A
khanqah was also added to the complex during the reign of
Aq Qoyunlu ruler, Ya'qub Beg.
Later during the
Safavid period, some repairs were made to the shrines.
Extensive renovations were completed on the complex during 1995 and 1996.
Architecture
There are
girih tiles present in the mausoleum as well as other geometric patterns in the tilework and strongly resemble
Penrose tilings, as discovered by
Peter Lu.
Burials
The site is believed to be the burial place of the saints Ibrahim al-Batha and Zayn al-Abidin, two descendants of Ja'far al-Sadiq. Local tradition relates that twelve other descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib are buried in the complex but the locations of their graves are not known. Historically, the site includes the mausoleum of the wife of
Qara Yusuf, who is also Jahan Shah's mother. A prince of Mongol descent, Mahmoud al-Afghani, is also buried in the funerary complex alongside other princes.
== Gallery ==
See also
-
Shia Islam in Iran
-
List of mosques in Iran
-
List of historical structures in Isfahan
-
List of mausoleums in Iran
-
List of imamzadehs in Iran
External links