Where is MASHAD? Ferdowsi Tomb MASHAD MASHAD is located 909 km(564 Miles) from TEHRAN in Northeastern IRAN, between the two mountain ranges of Binalood and Hezarmasjed. In the year 823 CE, after the martyrdom of His Holiness Imam Reza in a place around Toos named "Sanabad" (now called MASHAD-e-Reza or "place of the martyrdom"), the main nucleus of contemporary MASHAD appeared. Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi built a mausoleum opposite to the Shrine and in the 13th century CE, after the destruction of Toos city by Mongols, MASHAD developed as many people migrated there. IMAM REZA Tomb MASHAD At first, the Toos area was the residence of non-Aryan tribes and some parts of it were conquered by Arabs in the period of Caliph Osman. It was annexed to the Islamic territory in the time of Caliph Omar. Toos was among the first cities subjected to the destructive Mongol onslaught and, like the other cities of Khorasan, it was completely ruined. Nader Shah Tomb MASHAD Due to its specific and sensitive conditions, Toos passed from governor to governor in the Teymoorian and Ilkhanan periods, and many people were massacred. Finally, in 1438 CE, Shahrokh, the son of Amir Taymoor, took the throne. From his reign on, Toos was paid special attention, causing its expansion and development. Since the second half of the 15th century CE, this city was commemorated as a suburb of MASHAD. Some ruins of old Toos remain. Today, MASHAD has an unbreakable tie with the history of old Toos and hosts hundreds of thousand of pilgrims and visitors annually. New Toos, due to the existence of the tomb of "Ferdowsi," the great Iranian poet, is also recognized as a significant cite. The important natural, cultural and religious sites and monuments of this township are: : Bazangan Lake Recreational areas of Kooh-Sangi Khorshid Palace in Kooh-Sangi Milakhanjan and Robat Sharaf castle Ruins of the old city of Toos Kalat-e-Naderi historical aggregate Tombs of Ferdowsi Nader Shah Imam Mohammad Ghazali Khajeh Morad Goharshad mosque Ravi (famous Iranian Gnostics) Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi MASHAD mud-brick dome

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