Fatimah al-Masoomah Shrine
Much of the shrine complex was first built by Shah Abbas I in the early 17th century. The shrine has attracted to itself dozens of seminaries and religious schools. The shrine is also depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 50 rials coin, issued since 2004.
Also buried within the shrine are three daughters of ninth, Twelver Shi‘a Imam, Muhammad al-Taqi.
Specifications
The mosque consists of a burial chamber, three courtyards and three large prayer halls, totaling an area of 38,000 m2 (410,000 sq ft).The three prayer halls are named: Tabatabai, Bala Sar, and A‘dham.
Early History
After dying from an illness while en route to visiting her brother, Fatimah al-Masoomah was buried in Qom in 816.The cemetery she was buried in was made open to the public by Musa ibn Kharaj, the dignitary of Qom at the time. The site became a popular place for pilgrimage during the 9th and 10th centuries, and continued as such during the Timurid and Ak Koyunlu periods.
Qom, along with the shrine was raided in 1221 by the Mongols and again by the Tamerlane. In 1519 the dome of the shrine was rebuilt and the courtyard was embellished in honour of the Safavid king, Shah Ismail I. This task was carried out by his daughter Shah Bigum. In 1523 his wife Tajlu Khanum donated her own adjacent property, adding it mortmain as an expansion to the shrine. Thereafter, Shah Tahmasp I completed the burial chamber, and did work on the courtyard to the south of the grave. Further expansions were done to the shrine during the 17th century by Shah ‘Abbas I, along with the addition of schooling and other facilities.
During the 19th century, Fath ‘Ali Shah Qajar carried out restorations to the shrine, gilded the dome in gold, and had it further embellished.
Recent History
Repair work to the golden dome, which had remained untouched for 200 years, was initiated in the year 2000 by Grand Ayatullah Muhammad Taqi Bahjat.
Other links:
The Birth of the Holy Lady Fatimah Masoomah and her childhood
The migration of the Imam's sister Masoomah (S.A.) from Madina to Merv
Hazrat Masoomah (A.S.) the Great Narrator of Ahadith
Fatimah Al-Masooma Represented the purity and infallibility Prophet s Daughter
