Iran > The golden tomb of Imam Reza

The alarm goes off early again. I step into the shower. Under the cold, slightly lukewarm stream, I wake up. Fortunately, an extra towel was brought yesterday after all. As I pack my bag, I notice a cockroach in the corner of the room. Hopefully, its family hasn’t crawled into my bag. Just to be safe, I had already placed my bag on the bed last night. By bus, I continue the journey to Mashhad. Essentially, it’s just a long travel day of 550 kilometers through the desert. I read up on travel information about Mashhad and Ashgabat along the way. When we make a short stop just before Mashhad, our group thanks the driver and Ali. Today is the last day they will be driving us. We also hand them an envelope with a tip. My hotel is in the center of Mashhad. In the evening, as I walk out of the hotel, it starts to rain. In this region, it never really rains heavily. The rainwater quickly evaporates again. Still, it feels a little uncomfortable and even somewhat chilly. I decide to take shelter for a while. I order a banana shake at a small restaurant. When the weather clears, I continue walking to the holy shrine of Imam Reza. The shrine is located in the middle of a vast complex. Over the past years, the complex has only expanded. It provides space for tens of thousands of believers to pray.

Iran - The Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad is the holiest site in Iran

There are plans for even further expansions, which would require entire neighborhoods around the complex to make way. I enter through the south gate and leave my camera at the deposit, as cameras are not allowed inside the complex. I join the queue to enter. Everyone is carefully frisked. After the security check, I step onto an enormous square. I estimate it to be at least four hundred meters wide. Hundreds of people walk across the square toward the central point of the shrine. I follow them toward the holy shrine. Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the complex, but are usually not permitted near the holy shrine. I pass through several gates. In the courtyard by the mosque, it is crowded. I see men taking off their shoes. I also remove my shoes and join the line to enter. It’s unclear to me whether this is the actual entrance to the holy shrine. Inside, many men are preparing for the evening prayer. In the narrow path that remains, I shuffle forward. There is a lot of pushing. I decide to go with the flow and see where it leads. When I enter the next room, I see the holy shrine of Imam Reza on my left: a four-meter-high golden tomb. A remarkable moment in this extraordinary setting. Hundreds of people try to touch the shrine. I decide not to push into the crowd. Simply seeing the tomb is special enough for me. I continue with the flow and exit on the other side. Along the way, everyone touches every doorpost, and sometimes the doorpost is kissed. I realize I am in the midst of a religious complex, full of religious traditions. Impressive! I emerge onto a crowded courtyard. On the mats on the ground, everyone is already seated for the evening prayer. I return to the large entrance square. Here, boys are busy rolling out carpets. The mats are laid end to end across the square. As soon as a mat is laid, it is immediately occupied by believers. The boys can barely keep up with the stream of new arrivals. By around eight o’clock, the square is filled from front to back. I estimate that about ten thousand people are on the square. Inside the courtyards and buildings, there are still several thousand more. It is a remarkable sight when all those present kneel for prayer at the same time.