Tomb of Hafez, Shiraz, Iran - a photo on Flickriver

With rising political tension between Iran and the West nowadays, this could be the right moment to show how beautiful and peaceful the soul of the Iranian people really is. Don't let the media fool you. Iranians will embrace you with the most embarrassing hospitality you might ever encounter.

Khwāja Šamsu d-Dīn Muḥammad Hāfez-e Šhīrāzī (Persian: خواجه شمس‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی), known by his pen name Hāfez (1325/26–1389/90) was a Persian lyric poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian poetry (Divan) are to be found in the homes of most Iranians, who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day. His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-Fourteenth Century Persian writing more than any other author. Themes of his ghazals are the beloved, faith, and exposing hypocrisy. His influence in the lives of Iranians can be found in Hafez-readings (fāl-e hāfez, Persian: فال حافظ), frequent use of his poems in Persian traditional music, visual art and Persian calligraphy. His tomb in Shiraz is a masterpiece of Iranian architecture and visited often. Adaptations, imitations and translations of Hafez' poems exist in all major languages.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafez

The Tomb of Hafez and its associated memorial hall, the Hāfezieh, are two memorial structures erected in the northern edge of Shiraz, Iran, in memory of the celebrated Persian poet Hafez. The open pavilion structures are situated in the Musalla Gardens on the north bank of a seasonal river and house the marble tomb of Hafez. The present buildings, built in 1935 and designed by the French architect and archaeologist André Godard, are at the site of previous structures, the most well-known of which was built in 1773. The tomb, its gardens, and the surrounding memorials to other great figures are a focus of tourism in Shiraz.

Hafez was born in Shiraz in 1315 and died there in 1390. A beloved figure of the Iranian people, who learn his verses by heart, Hafez was prominent in his home town and held a position as the court poet. In his memory, a small, dome-like structure was erected in Shiraz near his grave at Golgast-e Mosalla in 1452 at the order of Babur Ibn-Baysunkur, a Timurid governor. The Golgast-e Mosalla were gardens (now known as Musalla Gardens) that featured in Hafiz's poetry. With a surface of over 19,000 square metres, the gardens were also home to one of Shiraz's cemeteries, and Babur had a pool built here at the same time as the memorial. Believing they were ordered by omens in Hafez's poetry, Abbas I of Persia and Nader Shah both carried out separate restoration projects in the following 300 years.

A much more substantial memorial was constructed in the gardens in 1773 during the reign of Karim Khan Zand. Situated on the north bank of the seasonal Rudkhaneye Khoshk river in the Musalla Gardens, the Hāfezieh consisted of four central columns, with two rooms built at the east and west end and with the north and south sides remaining open. The building split the gardens into two regions, with the orange grove in the front and the cemetery in the back. The actual tomb was outside of the structure, in the middle of the cemetery, with a marble slab placed over the grave. The marble was engraved by a calligrapher with excerpts from Hafez's poetry.

The tomb was restored in 1857 by a governor of Fars, and a wooden enclosure was built around the tomb in 1878, by another governor of Fars. Following this, the site became a subject of controversy, when, in 1899, Ardeshir, a Parsi from India began to build a shrine around Hafez's grave. Although the philanthropist Parsi had obtained permission from a ulema of Shiraz to build the iron and wood shrine, a doctor of religious law with some authority in Shiraz, ʿAli-Akbar Fāl-Asiri, objected to a Zoroastrian building over the grave of a Muslim. With his followers, he destroyed the half-built construction. The people of Shiraz protested the destruction and the government ordered the rebuilding of the monument, but Fāl-Asiri opposed them and pronounced that he would destroy any building raised there, even if it were erected by the king himself.

The site remained in ruins for two years, until 1901 when Prince Malek Mansur Mirza Shao es-Saltaneh placed a decorative iron transenna around Hafez's tomb. It was inscribed with verse and the names of the patrons of the transenna.

Activities to restore and expand the memorial to Hafez began in 1931, when the orange grove was repaired and the Hāfezieh was altered by a governor of Fars and Isfahan, Faraj-Allāh Bahrāmi Dabir-e Aʿẓam. Additional improvements were delayed until the Ministry of Education organised for a new building to be built, in 1935. André Godard, a French archaeologist and architect, was the technical director of the Department of Antiquities at the time, and was commissioned to design the new buildings.

Alterations to Hafez's tomb involved elevating it one metre above ground level and encircling it with five steps. Eight columns, each ten metres tall, support a copper dome in the shape of a dervish's hat. The underside of the dome is an arabesque and colourful mosaic. The original, four-columned memorial hall built in 1773 by Karim Khan Zand was extensively expanded. Sixteen pillars were added to the four original, creating a long verandah, and on several façades are engraved ghazals and other excerpts from Hafez's poetry.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_Hafez

Taken in: Iran / Fars / Shiraz (show map)

Taken on: August 11, 2009

Tags:

Hafez Tomb

Tomb of Hafez

André Godard

poet

poetry

Iranians

Iranian people

Iranian culture

culture

Iranian architecture

Islamic architecture

islam

columns

column

mosaic

Khwāja Shamsu d-Dīn Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī

خواجه شمس‌الدین محمد حافظ شیرازی

Hāfez

tomb

Fars

Fars Province

Pars

Pars Province

ایران

peaceful

peaceful setting

gardens

city of gardens

city of flowers

Ferry Vermeer

travel

travel photography

شيراز

Şiraz

Шираз

Šíráz

Schiraz

Chiraz

שיראז

Siráz

シーラーズ

შირაზი

시라즈

Şîraz

Sziras

Xiraz

Шероз

設拉子

Irã

إيران

Irán

Իրան

Іран

Иран

Ιράν

איראן

ईरान

イラン

이란

Îran

ايران

伊朗

Persien

استان فارس

Iran

Shiraz

Persia

clear

day « less

Sets appears in: • Islamic architecture • Iran / ایران more » • Architecture and nature merged • Understanding the world « less

Groups appears in: • Iran • Ancient Iran more » • Favorites: 70 • The World Through My Eyes ... • 50 Faves and less than 1000 Views(when posted) • 50+ Faves 1-2-3 (Post one,Comment and Fave two). • Mosques and Muslim Architecture ( Invite Your Contacts ) • Priceless • De Doka • Favorites of My Favorites (Invited Photos Only) • Islamic Architecture • IranMap - گروه ایران مپ • Iranian Architecture-معماری ایران • Image Gallery... B&W and Colour !!! [No AI or SL] • Flickr SHUTTERSPACE - Post 1 / Award 2, Please • ART PHOTOGRAPHERS Salon • some things are better than others!!! • Project Weather • People of World - www.cevatzade.com • National Geographic - www.cevatzade.com • Iran . www.cevatzade.com • Islamic and Moorish Inspired Gardens, Fountains and Ponds • come lo vediamo .. post 1 - award 3 « less

Camera: Sony DSC-W120, f/7.1, 1/250 sec, 5.3mm, ISO 125 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony DSC-W120
Aperture:	f/7.1
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	5.3mm
ISO:	125
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Landscape
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Landscape
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 Windows
Show full info

Stats: 41,828 views / 116 comments