Zakaria Malek Ray

The year 2019 was at the height of the Corona uproar, when news spread from hand to hand among the quarantined people. At a time when life smelled of antiseptic alcohol, the discovery of the tomb of Mohammad Zakaria Razi, the discoverer of alcohol, was an attractive news for the people. A man whose long name was again in the mouths like a thousand years ago, whose reputation for medicine was wrapped around the whole region.

According to Isna, the Iranian newspaper wrote: “I have come to find a tomb that is lost in history.” I review the sayings and hearings from this grave in my mind. I stare at the gravestones. Maybe he was buried under the shade of that leafy green tree, maybe under the pillar of one of the awnings they built recently, and maybe… more than a thousand years ago, how did they tell each other the news of his death in those days when Malik Ray’s property was vast? Probably the Jarchis were going around in Koi and Barzan Ray and shouting that “Muhammad bin Zakariya Razi died”. What did his patients in the hospital that was near this tomb do when they heard about the death of the smartest doctor in Iran? I have come to this place under the pretext of his birthday, which is called Pharmacist’s Day.

The year 2019 was at the height of the Corona uproar, when news spread from hand to hand among the quarantined people. At a time when life smelled of antiseptic alcohol, the discovery of the tomb of Mohammad Zakaria Razi, the discoverer of alcohol, was an attractive news for the people. A man whose long name was again in the mouths like a thousand years ago, whose reputation for medicine was wrapped around the whole region. It was stated in the news that the evidence and documents show that he is buried in Imamzade Shoaib (a.s.) in Firozabad village located in Shahreri. Additional news, however, did not have an exact address of the grave, and this historical area where I am walking now was called the place where Zakaria Razi is buried.

The semi-eastern sun has crossed the sky. The cool wind of Shahrivar blows in Imamzade Shoaib’s tomb. There is no specific entrance and it looks like a local tomb. The newly built mausoleum of Imamzadeh Shoaib is hidden behind the trees. A man is sitting on a chair next to the grave and does not take his head off the phone. He has a pleasant Azeri accent and says with special excitement that Zakaria Razi was buried in the cemetery where he lived. He does not know Zakaria Razi, and according to his own words, he has never met him. But the news has spread around the place: “They came and visited here several times. I have heard that the place where the dome is now is Zakaria’s tomb. “There used to be a pond where we used to play, then they built a dome pond.” He heard that a grave was opened nearby and a healthy mummified body was inside.

The sound of a drill that is splitting the earth for burial echoes in the cemetery. Some men in black are standing around the grave. I approach and look at the place of the grave, which is split open. I say to myself, maybe Zakaria Razi’s grave is here. The worker shouts, “It’s a stone.” “It’s okay,” says a tall man who appears to be in charge of the cemetery.

Mr. Firouzabadi is in charge of Aramistan and has been serving here since 2006. I ask him about the news of the discovery of Zakaria Razi’s grave. He says: “In 1400, one of the officials of Abd al-Azim’s shrine announced that Zakaria Razi’s grave is in Imamzade Shoaib. Many times they came, filmed and left. They also had meetings with the governor. As far as I know, they are trying to find the grave and if it is not found, they want to make a symbol of Zakaria Razi here. I still don’t know if it has been proven to the authorities that Zakaria’s grave is here or not?”

He says about the vastness of the cemetery and that they found a grave here in the 60s, which is not known how many years ago it was: “One day they came to bury someone and saw that there is a body in the grave that is almost healthy. Unfortunately, they did not announce it to the cultural heritage or scholars at that time and covered the grave. It was clear that a long time had passed since his death, but his body was healthy and had great qualities. I didn’t see it and I don’t know who it really was.”

Local people say different things; Some say that a mummy’s body was found in the same decade in today’s courtyard, and some consider all these to be baseless rumours.

Dr. Ahmed Abu Hamzeh, a scientist and university professor, arrives with some books under his arm. It is not possible to have a conversation in the courtyard of Aramistan with the sound of a drill, so we walk to Imamzadeh Shabestan and on the way he says about the vastness of the old Rei: “Rei was a vast place in 1400 years ago when Omar Saad promised to rule the state of Rei. This state extends to Tabaristan. And Azerbaijan, Khorasan and Hamedan were drawn. Shahrari has changed places several times. Contemporary Rey was formed around the shrine of Hazrat Abdul Azim (a.s.): “He says about the eight-thousand-year-old works in Cheshme Ali Shahrari that it was an indication of an old civilization in this region. During the period of the Medes, Achaemenids, Ashkans and Sasanians, Ray had a very important place in urbanization and coinage: “During the golden era of Iranian knowledge (third and fourth centuries after Islam), scholars such as Abu Ali Sina, Zakaria and Sufi Razi lived in Ray. And many other people who have the last name Razi are from Ray.”

This city was destroyed after the Mongol attack about 700 years ago, but it was rebuilt and regained its lost position during the Safavid era. During the Qajar era, there were many markets and caravanserais in Ray. Ray has always been a commuting route and the Silk Road has passed through this city.

From the year 2019 and the first news that appeared in the media, he says: “At that time, according to the research and the book written by the late professor Dr. Hossein Kariman in 1350 entitled “Ancient Ray” about some of the remaining works of the ancient Ray and talks We raised the issue of finding or rediscovering the tomb and burial place of Zakaria Razi with the researchers and those who had worked on it.

In Imamzade Shoaib’s private chapel, when I imagine that his grave might be nearby, talking about Zakaria Razi has a strange feeling. Dr. Abu Hamzeh’s voice echoes in Shabestan: “We don’t know how he was buried at that time, but what we know is that he lived in Ray and at the end of his life he was suffering from blindness and low vision, so we don’t think that he went somewhere else and It is very likely that he was buried in Ray. At that time, according to the research done by Dr. Keriman, it seems that his neighborhood or the place of his grave in the old cemetery of Ray is in this place, in fact, it is the place that we know today as Imamzadeh Shoaib cemetery.

Another thing that strengthens the idea of ​​burying him in this tomb is the proximity of the hospital that he built with his sister at the end of his life, a few kilometers from here, near the Sasanian fire temple of Ray.

I ask him about the words and rumors that the locals say about the discovery of an old body. He says: “We have old photos of Shoaib Imamzadeh, which shows a dome that was built around the same time as the Al-Buyeh period, which is 1,100 years ago. We had interviews with local people who emphasized that in the 60s, when the old Imamzadeh tomb was destroyed and this large Imamzadeh was built with a courtyard, they saw graves and coffins and old things here, which strengthens the possibility that this cemetery is the burial place of Zakaria Razi.

Now, with the hypothesis gaining strength and being put forward by researchers like Dr. Abu Hamzah, a monument to Razi is going to be built in this place. Of course, there are many other designs. In this regard, he says: “When we raised this issue, Tehran parliament member Mr. Yazdikhah took the plan to the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, and we also spoke at the 268th session of the Culture and Civilization Committee of Iran and Islam, and it was approved that a foundation for Let’s establish the name of Razi Foundation. Also, the former governor of Nou Castle talked to the farmers of the village, and about 10 hectares of land in the vicinity of the cemetery are planned for the foundation, scientific works, library, and the construction of a magnificent memorial tomb.

Also, it is supposed to change the name of Qaleno district and turn it into Razi, because in the past this area was also called Razi: “People also agree. It was approved by the public culture council of the city and the plan is in the ministries of the interior.”

How important is the exact place of burial? Abu Hamzah says: “We have to try not to let other countries take away our identity and Zakaria Razi’s identity. We have to start a secret foundation.” He considers the books that Razi wrote in Arabic to be one of the reasons for his concern about this identity being stolen. Writing books in Arabic, which was customary at that time, along with the construction of a hospital in Baghdad by Zakaria, can be one of the main reasons for this concern.

I say goodbye to Dr. Ahmad Abu Hamzeh and on the way, I can’t see any symbol or name of Zakaria Razi in the small neighborhood of Firozabad, except for a small plaque with the address of the tomb written on it. “What kind of new life can the unemployed youths who are sitting on the streets experience with the creation of these tourism infrastructures and knowledge of history?”