Mausoleum of Khomeini

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Mausoleum of Khomeini

The Mausoleum
Mausoleum

A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons....
of Ayatollah
Ayatollah

Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shia Islam clergy. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Hawza....
Khomeini houses the tomb of Ruhollah Musawi Khomeini

Ruhollah Khomeini

Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and scholar, politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Iranian monarchy of Iran....
. It is located to the south of Tehran

Tehran

Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran, and the administrative center of Tehran Province. Tehran is a sprawling city at the foot of the Alborz mountain range with an immense network of highways unparalleled in Western Asia....
in the Behesht-e Zahra

Behesht-e Zahra

Behesht-e Zahra , is the largest cemetery in Iran. Located in the southern part of metropolitan Tehran, it is connected to the city by a Tehran Metro line....
(the Paradise of Zahra) cemetery. Construction commenced in 1989 following Khomeini's death on June 3 1989. It is still under construction, but when completed will be the centerpiece in a complex spread over , housing a cultural and tourist center, a university for Islam

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
ic studies, a seminary, a shopping mall, and a 20,000-car parking lot.

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Encyclopedia

Ruhollah Khomeini

Tehran

Behesht-e Zahra

Islam

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
ian government has reportedly devoted US$

United States dollar

The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States and was defined by the Coinage Act of 1792 to be between 371 and 416 grains of silver ....
2 billion to this development. The site is a place of pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

File:Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpgIn religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long quest or search of great moral significance....
for followers of Khomeini. It is used symbolically by government figures, and is on occasion visited by foreign dignitaries. Khomeini's grandson Hassan Khomeini

Khomeini (name)

Khomeini is an Iranian name, derived from the Iranian city of Khomein. The "i" at the end means that the person is from the said city. The most prominent Khomeini is Ruhollah Khomeini....
is in charge of caring for the mausoleum.

The architect of the tomb was Mohammed Tehrani.

The exterior of the shrine complex is a highly recognizable landmark. It has a gold dome sitting on a high drum, surrounded by four free-standing minaret

Minaret

Minarets are distinctive architectural features of Islamic mosques. Minarets are generally tall spires with onion dome, usually either free standing or much taller than any surrounding support structure....
s. The shrine is surrounded by a large rectangular plaza which has been designed to hold vast numbers of visitors. With its size, inclusion of a qibla

Qibla

Qiblah is an Arabic language word for the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prayer during Salah. Most mosques contain a mihrab in a wall that indicates the qiblah....
wall and a maqsura, the tomb resembles a mosque

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Muslims often refer to the mosque by its Arabic name, masjid, ? . The word "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller, privately owned mosque and the larger, "collective" mosque ,...
.

Inside, Khomeini's sarcophagus

Sarcophagus

A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek language sa?? sarx meaning "flesh", and fa?e?? phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos the word came to refer to the limestone t...
is centrally placed under the gilded dome. The dome sits above a transition zone with two layers of clerestories

Clerestory

Clerestory is an architecture term denoting an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque architecture or Gothic architecture church , the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows....
, decorated with stained glass depicting tulip

Tulip

Tulipa, commonly called tulip, is a genus of about 150 species of bulbous flowering plants in the family Liliaceae. The native range of the species includes southern Europe, north Africa, and Asia from Anatolia and Iran in the west to northeast of China....
s (an Iranian symbol of martyrdom). The dome is supported by eight large marble

Marble

Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite . It is extensively used for Marble sculpture, as a architecture material, and in many other applications....
columns that circle the sarcophagus, that together with other smaller columns support the space frame ceiling. The ceiling is also punctuated by clerestories. The floor and wall surfaces are made of polished white marble. The floor is covered with fine carpets.

Non-Muslims are allowed inside the complex.

Mausoleum of Khomeini

See also

External links