Tomb of Saadi

Saadi of Shiraz wrote in the thirteenth century and his Gulistan and Bustan are among the foundational works of Persian literature, read and memorised for centuries and quoted in ordinary speech to this day. His tomb sits in a garden in the north-east of the city, rebuilt in its present form in the 1950s: an open pavilion of blue-tiled arches over the grave, with his verses in tilework around the walls, set among cypress, orange trees and water channels. Below the garden is an underground chamber with a pool fed by a qanat, holding fish, reached down a stair, which visitors throw coins into. Iranians come here as a matter of course, and reading aloud at the tomb is normal rather than performative.

History

Saadi was buried at the end of his life at a khanqah on this spot, and in the 13th century Shams al-Din Juvayni, vizier of Abaqa Khan, built him a tomb, which was lost in the 17th century. Under Karim Khan Zand a two-storey mausoleum of brick and plaster was built here, and the complex was added to the Iran National Heritage List on 9 December 1975 (Wikipedia, Tomb of Saadi).

What's there

• The tiled open pavilion - blue arches over the poet's grave.
• Verses in tilework - his lines set around the walls.
• The underground qanat pool - a fish pool fed by an old water channel.
• Iranians reading at the tomb - the ordinary use of the place.

When to go

March to May and October to November. One to two hours. Evenings are busiest with local visitors and the pavilion is lit. Spring brings orange blossom to the garden, which is the Shiraz signature.

Good to know

The present building is twentieth century, not medieval, which surprises some visitors. It is small and quickly seen. The site is far from the centre and needs a taxi. Modest dress applies.

Nearby

The tomb of Hafez is closer to the centre; the Quran Gate is on the road between them.

Key facts