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Doors of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a)

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The Gold Door of the Gold Iwan of the Inqilab courtyard of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a), a work of the Pahlavi era.

Doors of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a) refers to the doors installed at the entrances and exits of various places within the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a), which generally possess historical and artistic value.

From past centuries, exquisite doors have existed in the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a), which have been mentioned in some historical sources. In different periods, commensurate with the expansion of the Shrine and the addition of porticos (Riwaq) and courtyards (Sahn), and the necessity of replacing old doors, new exquisite doors have been made for the Shrine.

Among the doors of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a), the doors of the Burial Chamber (al-buq'ah), including the Front Door and the Foot Door, are considered the most valuable doors of the Shrine. Other valuable and historical doors include the wooden lattice door[1] and the wooden knot-work[2] door from the Timurid era, and the wooden reticulated lattice door from the Safavid era.

Introduction and History

The doors of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a) are defined as doors installed at the entrances and exits of various places in the Shrine, generally possessing historical and artistic value.[3] Some rituals[4] and jobs[5] of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a) are related to the doors of the Shrine.

It is said that exquisite doors have existed in the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a) since past centuries, which have been mentioned in some historical sources;[6][7] for example, Ibn Battuta, the Maghrebi traveler, mentioned the existence of a silver door in 734/1333-4.[8] Also, Abbas Fayd Qummi, a Shi'a researcher, reported in 1949 the existence of two double-leaf gold doors, eight double-leaf silver doors, and three double-leaf boxwood doors in the Shrine.[9]

View of the Foot Door (Dar-i Pāyyīn-pā) from the Gunbad-i Hatam Khani portico.

It is stated that in different periods, commensurate with the expansion of the Shrine and the addition of porticos and courtyards, and the necessity of replacing old doors, new exquisite doors were made for the Shrine;[10] for example: the silver door between the corridor of Dar al-Sa'ada and the Gold Iwan of Azadi Courtyard, installed in 1288/1871-2 (Qajar era);[11] and the gold-plated doors between the porticos of Dar al-Sharaf and Dar al-Shukr, and the porticos of Dar al-Sa'ada and Dar al-Surur, installed during the Pahlavi era.[12]

According to a report, after the Islamic Revolution of Iran, in addition to the restoration of old doors, exquisite doors were installed in courtyards and porticos; including the wooden carved door between Jumhuri Islami Courtyard and Dar al-Wilaya.[13]

Doors of the Burial Chamber

Among the doors of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a), the doors of the Burial Chamber (al-buq'a al-haruniyya), including the Front Door and the Lower Gate (at the Feet of Imam Reza), are considered the most valuable doors of the Shrine.[14]

The Upper Gate (at the Head of Imam Reza)

The Upper Gate is considered the only door of the Burial Chamber up to the Safavid era and the door mentioned by Ibn Battuta in his travelogue.[15] In 1272/1855-6, Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar endowed (Waqf) a double-sided and colorful (mulamma') door to the Shrine, which was installed at The Upper Gate.[16]

The Golden Front Door installed in 1354 Sh.

This door has been described as a double-leaf door made of walnut wood and covered with gold plates.[17] Inscriptions of Qur'anic verses, narrations, and 19 couplets from a Qasida by Soroush Isfahani, a Qajar era poet, with the chronogram 1275/1858-9 are engraved on these plates.[18] This door was repaired in 1928 and 1963 and was moved to the Museum of Astan Quds Razavi in 1975.[19]

In 1975, a golden door was installed in place of the previous Front Door,[20] which is considered one of the best and most precious doors of the Shrine.[21] Inscriptions of verses, hadiths, and poems appear on the golden plates of this door; including Arabic poems attributed to Nasir al-Din Tusi.[22]

Above the frame of this door, on the outside of the Burial Chamber, Quran 15:46 is enameled in gold Thuluth script on a medallion.[23] This four-leaf door was reconstructed in 1981 and decorated with verses, hadiths, and poems.[24]

The Lower Gate

According to some sources, the location of this door was opened by the order of Shah Abbas I (the Safavid), and a double-sided, jeweled door was installed there.[25] The jewels of this door were looted during the Afsharid era, and it was re-gilded during the Qajar era.[26]

The double-sided Foot Door (Dar-i Pāyyīn-pā), a work of the Safavid era preserved in the Museum of Astan Quds Razavi.

On the two leaves of this door, three medallions with inscriptions containing narrations such as the Hadith of Madinat al-'Ilm are engraved.[27] In the margin of these medallions, an inscription containing 16 couplets from a Qasida by Soroush Isfahani in Nasta'liq script is written.[28] On the back of this door, an Arabic Qasida in 15 couplets containing the names of the Fourteen Infallibles (a) is engraved.[29] This door was moved to the Museum of Astan Quds Razavi in 1975.[30]

It is said that a golden door of the same quality was prepared and installed in its place,[31] on which the completion date of 1979 is engraved.[32] This four-leaf golden door bears inscriptions containing hadiths from the Prophet (s) and Imam al-Rida (a), and a part of Quran 39:73 appears in the medallion above its frame.[33]

Other Doors

Sources mention details of some other historical doors of the Shrine of Imam al-Rida (a);[34] including:

  • Wooden Lattice Door: A masterpiece of Iranian wood carving from the Safavid era[35] which was installed at the location of the Shah Tahmasbi Platform.[36] This door was moved to the Museum of Astan Quds Razavi around the time of the reign of Reza Shah (First Pahlavi).[37]
  • Wooden Carved Lattice Door: One of the precious works of the Timurid era made of walnut wood, whose Arabesque designs and carved inscriptions indicate the peak of the art of wood carving in that period.[38] This door is kept in the Museum of Astan Quds.[39]
  • Wooden Knot-work Door: Famous as the "Wooden Door of the Khalesi Tomb," it is a precious work of the Timurid era possessing three large knot-work frames. It was installed in the Bala-sar Mosque and in later periods was moved to the entrance of the carpet warehouse of the Shrine.[40] This door was moved to the Museum of Astan Quds in 1994.[41]
  • Sani'i Carved Wooden Door: A door belonging to the Pahlavi era, featuring carved decorations and various Arabesque and Khatai patterns and inscriptions. Before being moved to the Museum of Astan Quds, it was installed at Shoe-keeping number one of Inqilab-i Islami Courtyard.[42]
  • Silver Door from Gold Iwan of Inqilab-i Islami Courtyard to Tawhid-khana: This door was made through the efforts of Hasan Ali Khan Amir Nizam Garrusi, a statesman of the Qajar era, in 1374 AH [sic].[43] In the late Pahlavi era, a gold-plated and engraved door was installed in its place.[44]

Notes

  1. ↑ A wooden lattice door is a wooden door with interwoven openings, allowing light and airflow while maintaining privacy and decorative architectural value.
  2. ↑ Wooden knot-work is decorative woodworking using interlaced geometric wooden patterns, often without nails or glue.
  3. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 43.
  4. ↑ For example, see: Īzānlū, "Bastan wa gushūdan-i darhā-yi Ḥaram", pp. 34-37.
  5. ↑ For example, see: Naqdī, Tārīkh wa tashkīlāt, 1399 Sh, pp. 176-180.
  6. ↑ Curzon, Iran and the Persian Question, 1362 Sh, vol. 1, p. 224; Fayḍ, Badr-i furūzān, 1328 Sh, pp. 341-366.
  7. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 477.
  8. ↑ Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, Riḥlat Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, 1417 AH, vol. 3, p. 55.
  9. ↑ Fayḍ, Badr-i furūzān, 1328 Sh, p. 341.
  10. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", pp. 480-481.
  11. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 480.
  12. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 481.
  13. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 481.
  14. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 43.
  15. ↑ Iḥtishām Kāviyāniyān, Shams al-shumūs, 1354 Sh, p. 174; ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 51.
  16. ↑ Iḥtishām Kāviyāniyān, Shams al-shumūs, 1354 Sh, p. 72.
  17. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i dūrū-yi Pīsh-rū-yi Mubārak", p. 477.
  18. ↑ Iḥtishām Kāviyāniyān, Shams al-shumūs, 1354 Sh, p. 172.
  19. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i dūrū-yi Pīsh-rū-yi Mubārak", p. 477.
  20. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 480.
  21. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 42.
  22. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 44.
  23. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 44.
  24. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 480.
  25. ↑ Mullā Jalāl al-Dīn Munajjim, Tārīkh-i ʿAbbāsī, 1366 Sh, p. 218; Iḥtishām Kāviyāniyān, Shams al-shumūs, 1354 Sh, p. 169.
  26. ↑ Iḥtishām Kāviyāniyān, Shams al-shumūs, 1354 Sh, pp. 169-170.
  27. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i dūrū-yi Pāyyīn-pā-yi Mubārak", pp. 474-475.
  28. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i dūrū-yi Pāyyīn-pā-yi Mubārak", p. 476.
  29. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i dūrū-yi Pāyyīn-pā-yi Mubārak", p. 476.
  30. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i dūrū-yi Pāyyīn-pā-yi Mubārak", p. 476.
  31. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 54.
  32. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, p. 53.
  33. ↑ ʿĀlam-zāda, Ḥaram-i Raḍavī bih riwāyat-i tārīkh, 1395 Sh, pp. 52-53; Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 478.
  34. ↑ For a descriptive list of these doors, see: Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", pp. 477-482.
  35. ↑ Kafīlī, "Dar-i chūbī-yi girah-bandī-yi mushabbak", p. 471.
  36. ↑ Kafīlī, "Dar-i chūbī-yi girah-bandī-yi mushabbak", p. 472.
  37. ↑ Kafīlī, "Dar-i chūbī-yi girah-bandī-yi mushabbak", p. 472.
  38. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i chūbī-yi munabbat girah-bandī", p. 474.
  39. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i chūbī-yi munabbat girah-bandī", p. 474.
  40. ↑ Kafīlī, "Dar-i chūbī-yi girah-chīnī", p. 472.
  41. ↑ Kafīlī, "Dar-i chūbī-yi girah-chīnī", p. 473.
  42. ↑ Dalīr, "Dar-i chūbī-yi munabbat-kārī-yi Ṣanīʿī", pp. 473-474.
  43. ↑ Iḥtishām Kāviyāniyān, Shams al-shumūs, 1354 Sh, p. 183.
  44. ↑ Ḥusaynī, "Darhā-yi Ḥaram", p. 480.

References

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  • Curzon, George. Iran and the Persian Question. Translated by Gholam-Ali Vahid Mazandarani. Tehran, Intishārāt-i ʿIlmī wa Farhangī, 1362 Sh.
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