The tomb of Sheikh Haider Meshkinshahr is a symbol of Ilkhanate architecture

The mausoleum of Sheikh Haider, the father of Shah Ismail Safavi, in Del Baghi in Mash’inshahr city, as an architectural symbol of the Ilkhanate period, fascinates every viewer, and its unsaid discovery requires the continuation of archaeological excavations. The Ilkhans or Ilkhanians were a dynasty of Mongols who ruled Iran for about 100 years from 654 to 756 AH (1256 to 1356 AD). This dynasty was initially Buddhist but gradually converted to Islam. One of the important developments of the Ilkhanate period in Iran is the recognition of Shiism as the official religion of the country.

Along with the valuable cultural heritage of Meshgin Shahr, Sheikh Haider’s mausoleum in the center of this city, 92 km from the capital of Ardabil province, is one of the cultural heritage assets that is worthy of consideration both because of its belonging to the Ilkhanate period and because it is attributed to a religious and cultural personality. It welcomes domestic and foreign tourists and attracts the attention of visitors.

Who was Sheikh Haider?

according to the information of the open encyclopedia; Sheikh Haider was the son of Sheikh Junaid and the niece of Sultan Uzon Hasan Aq Quyunlu and the father of Shah Ismail Safavi. He was born one month after his father’s death and was raised by Uzon Hassan. Later, following the death of Jahanshah Qaraqoyunlu by Uzon Hassan, while he was not yet 10 years old, he entered Ardabil under the protection of Uzon Hassan in (848 solar/874 lunar year) and with the encouragement and approval of those around him, he became a perfect mentor and great Sufi. has taken over the affairs of the Safavid tomb and monastery.

Sheikh Haider was one of the great Sufis who showed bravery in the war with Sharvan and was killed in the same war, and his disciples moved his body to Meshkinshahr and built a tomb for him.

Sheikh Haider was one of the great Sufis who showed bravery in the war with Sharvan and was killed in the same war, and his disciples moved his body to Meshkinshahr and built a tomb for him so that it would be safe for his followers. Some people have been referring to this place as Imamzadeh for years.

According to the testimony of history, Shah Ismail Safavi, the founder of the Safavi dynasty, after 22 years after the death of his father Sheikh Haider, moved his body to Ardabil and buried it in his family tomb next to his great grandfather Sheikh Safi al-Din.

The head of the archeology department of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Ardabil stated in this regard: There are various narratives about Sheikh Haider’s burial place and almost certainly his burial place should be in Ardabil.

Architecture and registration in the list of historical monuments

Regarding the importance of the architecture of this historical building, Ruhollah Mohammadi also said: Sheikh Haider’s mausoleum or castle is the characteristic architecture of the Ilkhanid period and one of the important works of this period that can be mentioned in the regions of Azerbaijan and in the Qajar and Safavid periods and after that. It has also been restored, and since 1980, it has been restored, landscaped, and decorated every year.

He pointed out that the archeology museum and handicrafts exhibition are being built around Sheikh Haider’s mausoleum and added: Following the portico construction of the mausoleum, the construction of the museum and handicrafts exhibition in its area is still going on and after completion, it will continue to prosper and increase. Visiting the building in question will be effective.

Imanali Imani, the head of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department of Meshkin Shahr, announced that the visit to Sheikh Haider’s mausoleum is free from 8:00 to 24:00 and said: “This building has visitors every day and it has recently been invested with 40 billion Rials.” Privately, in the corridors of this historical complex, we have set up sections including a gallery of historical documents, a poetry and literature hall, a traditional dining room, and handicraft and carpet weaving workshops.

According to the announcement of the General Administration of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Ardabil Province, the tomb of Sheikh Haider was registered among the national monuments on July 18, 1311 AH under number 184, and according to the latest historical studies, the construction of this building dates back to 731 AH. and it was the Ilkhanid period and its decorations were done during the Safavid period; The cylindrical building with a height of 18.5 meters and a diameter of 10.9 meters is placed on a stone foundation, and then the wall is made with bricks and plaster and lime mortar.

The mausoleum consists of 2 upper and lower floors, the lower floor called the crypt contains an octagonal part with sides of approximately 2 meters and a rectangular part with dimensions of 1.20 and 3.40 cm, the burial of seven personalities and He was a nobleman of that period, and one of the graves attributed to Sheikh Haider is located on the south side of the mausoleum, and the rest, nameless and unmarked, is located in the northern part of the main grave.

The text of the inscription was read after seven centuries

The Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Meshkin Shahr announced in August 2018 that cultural heritage experts have succeeded in reading the text of the inscription carved on the body of Sheikh Haider’s tomb after seven centuries, and in the past it was thought that this inscription was a combination of forms It is geometrical and the name is Jalalah, but after re-reading with computer software, it was found that three verses from the Holy Quran are engraved on it.

These verses are the last three verses of Surah Mubarak al-Fath, which begin with “Basmillah” and end with “Truthfulness of Allah” and are written in Kufic calligraphy and are unique in the world and are a sign of the height of greatness and prosperity of the Ilkhanate’s architectural art.

This building was registered among the national monuments on July 18, 1311 AH under number 184, and according to the latest historical studies, the construction of this building was related to 731 AH and the Ilkhanid period, and its decorations were done during the Safavid period.

The brick body of the tower has blue tiling from the outside and although the tiling does not cover the whole body and has some collapses, it still retains its beauty and the word “Allah” carved in this building is probably modeled on The dome of Allah Allah or the dome of Sheikh Safiuddin Ardabili is in the city of Ardabil.

This building has a gabled dome roof and the main roof of the building is circular from the outside, but it has twelve sides from the inside, and it is said that these twelve sides are the symbol of the twelve Imams of the Shiites, to whom the Safavids had great devotion.

The capacity to revive and develop tourism

The tomb of Sheikh Haider in the central and old context of Meshgin Shahr city has a beautiful view in a large garden, and perhaps with the porticoes around it, it was once a resting place for travelers. In the past years, the first phase of the commercial section of the mausoleum It has been completed and its various parts, including the museum, business units, public library, handicrafts hall and gallery, Janat Sara Mosque, parking lot and its large chain store are being built and completed.

In order to further introduce Sheikh Haider’s mausoleum to people and tourists, the local authorities held the traditional Nowruzgah ceremony in its premises in April 97. If the day is good, it will certainly have an impact on the prosperity of the tourism industry in Mashkin city and even in Ardabil province.

Considering the religious and cultural history of Ardabil province, which is influenced by the enduring and cultural achievements of the Safavids, there is a place for local and provincial officials to pay more attention to the tomb of Sheikh Haider Meshkinshahr and other religious and historical castles of Ardabil province in order to restore Their maintenance and restoration should be done in a proper way for the historical capitals of the province, and we should witness more attendance and visits by those interested in historical places.

Meshkinshahr, a city with a population of 155,000 people, located 90 kilometers northwest of Ardabil, has historical monuments such as Qahgahe Castle, Qanli Bulag Caravanserai, Seyyed Suleiman Fakhrabad Tomb, Old Qala, several old baths, Shabil and Qinarja hot mineral waters, and the historical site of Yeri city with dozens of statues. It is a stone with an age of about eight thousand years.