Minarets

Beside the two towering minarets of Gowharshad Mosque each 40 meters high located on both the sides of Ivan-i Maqsureh of the mosque there are six other minarets in the holy shrine. The two olden minarets made out of gold have been specially built for the holy shrine. The minarets are usually made on the two sides of the dome and near it but these two golden minarets had been built far away from each other. One close to the golden dome, upon the Ivan-i Naderi in the southern part of Sahn Inqilab was built by Shah Tahmasb Safavi. Its height is 40.50 meters and its circumference is 13 meters. The other golden minaret of the same height is almost far built in the northern part of Sahn Inqilab on Ivan-i Abbasi and it was constructed during the reign of Nader Shah Afshar. Although lack of symmetry can be clearly felt, it has been carried out with the purpose so that when the pilgrims enter the holy shrine from the Imam Rida (A.S.) Avenue, they can see the dome between these two golden minarets.

Two golden minarets each 30 meters high are recently constructed on the northern and the southern Ivans of the Jumhuri Islami Courtyard. These two minarets had been decorated completely with golden tiles. On the southern side of the Imam Khomeini (R.A.) Courtyard on both sides of the Mihrab two beautiful minarets decorated with mosaic tiles are recently constructed. The height of these minarets is 7.50 meters with a diameter of 1.40 meters. Thus at present there are eight magnificent minarets in the holy shrine in the memory of Imam Rida (A.S.), the eighth Holy Infallible Imam of the Shi'ites in the world.

Six towering minarets each with a height of 121 meters are under construction around the Sahn Jameh Razavi. These magnificent and towering minarets after its completion will be visible from any part of the holy city of Mashhad. These minarets which will be the loftiest minarets in Iran are being built by latest towers construction technology with the amalgamation of exquisite Islamic architecture. Thus after the completion of the construction of these minarets the total numbers of magnificent minarets in the holy shrine will rise to fourteen in the memory of the Fourteen Infallibles (Holy Prophet of Islam (S.A.W.), Hadrat Fatima Zahra (A.S.) and the Twelve Shi'ite Imams).