Shah Cheragh Shrine

Shah Cheragh (شاه چراغ, “King of the Lamp”) is the most important Shi’a shrine in Shiraz, built over the grave of Ahmad ibn Musa, a son of the seventh Shi’a imam and brother of Imam Reza, who died in Shiraz in the early 9th century. It is a working place of pilgrimage, not a museum, and its interior is covered almost entirely in mirror mosaic.

Who was Shah Cheragh

Ahmad ibn Musa was one of the sons of Musa al-Kazim, the seventh imam of Twelver Shi’ism, and a brother of Ali al-Rida, the eighth imam, whose shrine is in Mashhad. Shi’a tradition says that Ahmad and his brother Mohammad travelled towards Khorasan to join Imam Reza, were stopped in Fars, and died in Shiraz, by some accounts killed by agents of the Abbasid caliphate. The date usually given is about 835, though the sources do not agree in detail.

Local tradition explains the name. The grave was forgotten for centuries, until a light was seen shining over it at night. When the spot was dug, a body was found, and the place became known as the tomb of the “King of the Lamp”. Pilgrims today call him Shah Cheragh, and the whole complex, with its courtyard, mosque and tomb, carries the name.

From a small tomb to a great shrine

1. 13th century A first domed tomb is built under the Salghurid atabegs who ruled Fars, the same patrons Saadi served.
2. 14th century Tashi Khatun, mother of the Injuid ruler Abu Ishaq, enlarges the shrine and adds a mosque and a school around the tomb.
3. 16th–17th centuries Major renovation under the Safavids, when Shi’ism became Iran’s state religion and shrines of the imams’ families gained new importance.
4. 18th century Earthquakes in Shiraz badly damage the complex and bring down the Safavid dome.
5. 1827–1828 Repairs under Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, including a silver screen around the grave.
6. 20th century The dome is rebuilt on a modern frame, and the mirror and tile decoration is renewed.

The politics of Hafez’s Shiraz, when the Injuids and then the Muzaffarids fought over the city, are told on our page about the Injuids and Muzaffarids.

What you see inside

The courtyard

The shrine opens onto a very large paved courtyard (sahn), surrounded by arcades. Families sit here after prayers, children run between the pilgrims, and in the evening the courtyard is lit up and crowded. From here you see the bulbous tiled dome and the short minarets at the ends of the portico.

Mirror work

The reason the shrine is famous outside Iran is its âyene-kâri (آینه‌کاری), mirror mosaic. Thousands of small pieces of cut glass are set into plaster across the walls, vaults and ceilings of the halls around the tomb. Under the lamps the surfaces break the light into green, white and silver points. The craft goes back to the Safavid period, when broken pieces of imported European mirrors were first used this way, and was developed further under the Qajars. Here it covers almost every surface.

The tomb

The grave sits inside a zarih, a screen of silver and gold-coloured metal, placed in an alcove next to the space under the dome rather than directly beneath it. Pilgrims touch the screen, tie threads or slip notes and coins through it, and pray. Men and women enter the tomb area from separate sides.

The museum

The complex has a small museum with objects given to the shrine over the centuries, including pottery, coins from the Parthian and Sasanian periods, Safavid and Qajar weapons and manuscripts. Opening is irregular, so ask on site.

The attacks of 2022 and 2023

On 26 October 2022 a gunman opened fire on worshippers at the shrine. Reports put the number killed at 13 or 15, including children, with dozens wounded. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Iranian authorities said the attackers were not Iranian nationals, and two men convicted of involvement were executed in July 2023. The United Nations condemned the attack.

On 13 August 2023 another gunman attacked the shrine, killing two people and wounding seven, according to Iranian officials. Iran’s Intelligence Ministry later said it had arrested people it described as linked to the Islamic State. Security at the entrances was tightened after both attacks, and visitors should expect bag checks.

Visiting respectfully

• Shah Cheragh is a holy place. Foreign and non-Muslim visitors have generally been welcome, often accompanied by a guide from the shrine’s office for foreign visitors, but access to the tomb chamber can be limited. Follow the instructions of the staff.
• Women are expected to wear a chador (چادر), which the shrine usually lends at the women’s entrance. Men should wear long trousers and avoid sleeveless shirts.
• Photography rules change and phones may be checked at the gate. Ask before photographing people, and do not film people praying.
• Avoid visiting during the main prayer times and on religious holidays if you want space to look around; visit then if you want to see the shrine at its busiest.
• There is no fixed ticket for the shrine. For opening rules and current conditions, check locally and see your own government’s travel advice.

The mirror work here pairs well with the coloured glass of the Nasir al-Mulk Mosque nearby. For the city’s other sights, see our Shiraz page, and for the shrine of Ahmad’s brother, the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.