Avicenna Mausoleum

Ibn Sina, known in the west as Avicenna, was born near Bukhara around 980 and died at Hamadan in 1037, and his Canon of Medicine was a standard medical text in Europe and the Islamic world for centuries. His grave in Hamadan was marked by a modest structure until the 1950s, when a new mausoleum was built for the millennium of his birth: a tower of twelve concrete columns rising to a conical spire, deliberately modelled on the eleventh-century brick tower at Gonbad-e Qabus, with the columns said to stand for the branches of knowledge he worked in. Beneath it are the tomb, a library holding early manuscripts and printed editions of his works, and a small museum of medical instruments and archaeological finds from Hamadan.

History

The first mausoleum over the grave was built in the Qajar era. A new one was planned from at least 1939, the architect Houshang Seyhoun won the competition for it and completed his training at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1948 with the project, and the mausoleum was dedicated in May 1954; in 1997 it was added to the Iran National Heritage List (Wikipedia, Avicenna Mausoleum).

What to look for

• The twelve-column tower - a 1950s design based on Gonbad-e Qabus.
• The tomb chamber - the grave beneath the monument.
• Manuscripts of his works - early copies and printed editions in the library.
• Medical instruments - a small museum of period surgical tools.

When to go

April to June and September to October. One hour. The square around it is a busy city centre and the monument is floodlit in the evening. Museums close on some public holidays.

Things to know

The building is twentieth century and visitors expecting a medieval tomb are surprised. It is small and an hour covers it. The museum is modest and labelling is largely in Persian. The square outside is traffic-heavy.

Nearby

Ganjnameh is on the mountain road west; Hegmataneh lies in the city.

Key facts