Shah Nematollah Vali Shrine

Shah Nematollah Vali was a fourteenth-century Sufi poet and the founder of an order that still exists, and he died at Mahan in 1431, where his tomb became the centre of a shrine complex that has been extended by successive patrons ever since, so it now runs to four courtyards, a mosque, a khanqah and pilgrim lodgings around the tomb chamber. The dome over the grave is Timurid in origin, tiled in turquoise, and the twin minarets and much of the tilework are Qajar additions. Ancient cypresses stand in the courtyards, and the whole complex is quiet in a way that the great pilgrimage shrines are not, since it draws a steady but modest flow rather than crowds. The doors are carved and inlaid.

History

Shah Nematollah Vali died in 1431 at an age of over 100, and in 1436 the Bahmanid ruler Ahmad I Vali built the sanctuary chamber over his grave. Shah Abbas I extended and renovated the complex in 1601, and the girih tiling of the blue dome includes rare 11-pointed stars (Wikipedia, Shah Nematollah Vali Shrine).

What to look for

• The turquoise Timurid dome - the roof over the poet's tomb.
• Four linked courtyards - the complex grown across five centuries.
• Ancient cypresses - very old trees standing in the courts.
• Carved and inlaid doors - the woodwork through the complex.

When to go

March to May and October to November. One to two hours. It closes to visitors during prayers and is busier on Fridays. Modest dress and a headscarf are required.

Things to know

It is an active shrine and non-Muslim visitors may be restricted from the tomb chamber itself, depending on who is on the door. Photography inside is limited. There is no interpretation. Mahan has few facilities.

Nearby

Shazdeh Garden is a few kilometres away; Kerman lies north-west.

Key facts