Sheikh Safieddin Khanegah and Shrine

Sheikh Safieddin Khanegah and Shrine (مجموعه آرامگاه و خانقاه شیخ صفی‌الدین) is a Sufi lodge and shrine complex that contains the tomb of Sheikh Safieddin Ardebili in the city of Ardebil, in Ardebil province. It was built by his son Sheikh Sadreddin Musa, after Sheikh Safi's death in 1334. Construction stretched from the beginning of the 16th century until the end of the 18th century. The present complex includes, but is not limited to, the outside of the tomb, the courtyard, the grave of Sheikh Safieddin, the Haramkhaneh, the grave of Shah Ismail I, the Chinikhaneh (China House) which has beautiful stuccos and several precious wooden and silver doors and contains Shah Abbas' I porcelain collection, the Jannatsara Mosque, the Cheraghkhaneh (or house of lights), DaralHuffaz (Home of Quran reciters), Chellehkhaneh (a praying room), the burial ground of the martyrs.

Various sections of the complex serve a variety of functions, including a library, a mosque, a school, mausolea, a cistern, a small outdoor museum with items of the Shahr'e Yeri Historical Site and pedroglyphs found in Ardebil County, a hospital, kitchens, a bakery, and some offices. The complex incorporates a route to reach the shrine of the sheikh divided into seven segments, which mirror the seven stages of Sufi mysticism. Various parts of the mausoleum are separated by eight gates, which represent the eight attitudes of Sufism.

Passing through the wooden entrance one enters an asymmetrical garden 27 meters wide and 89 to 100 meters long. It is paved with black and gray volcanic stones and contains two pools from the Safavid era. In the past the garden was home to a kitchen, bath, cistern and various offices.

On its eastern side a door leads to a corridor that connects the garden to the main courtyard. 

The main courtyard is also rectangular, 30.5 meters long and 16 meters wide. It has a 12-sided pool, 4 meters in diameter, whose perimeter is made of three stone circles. In the past the pool contained a well although today it has been closed off. On the western side of the courtyard a decorated wall runs and leads to small, two-storied rooms that may have been used as Chellehkhaneh in the past. An ivan sits on the northern side of the courtyard which leads to the octagonal domed Jannatsara Mosque. The ivan itself is protected by a latticed tansenna and houses 3 tombstones, one from the Pahlavi era and two from the Qajar.

The Jannatsara Mosque is the tallest section of the complex. The octagonal plan of Jannatsara formerly had a dome which had caved in and was replaced by a flat roof until it was restored to its original shape in 1996. Jannatsara was intended to be an eternal resting place for Shah Tahmasb although during the Safavid era it was converted into a mosque. It is currently a museum for Sheikh Safieddin’s carpet and historical documents.

The Daralhuffaz Hall, also known as Ghandilkhaneh, is past the main courtyard. It was a space for reading and memorizing the Quran. Its construction was initiated by Sheikh Safieddin and completed by his son Sadreddin Musa. It consists of a connected space on the northern and southern ends with a decorated half dome. The interior design contains Quran and hadith texts done in sols font. This pattern is also seen on its exterior. The façade of Daralhuffaz which faces the courtyard consists of two rows of five windows surrounded by floral tiles. Beneath them an order from Shah Tahmasb is engraved in marble.

Located in the south end of Daralhuffaz and spanning 4.8 by 5.7 meters is the alcove. There is an elevation of 70 cm (two steps) between the two. It is separated from Daralhuffaz by an iron window covered with silver plates, and a latticed door.

On the courtyard’s south side, and accessed through Daralhuffaz Hall, is a cylindrical tower with an octagonal interior. The outside of the structure looks like a regular brick octagon, while the inside is a cylindrical body, with a diameter of approximately 6 meters. The body is adorned with turquoise tiles with the phrase Allah repeated all over it. It is as such that the tower is aptly named the Allah Allah Dome. It has a crescent-shaped, double-shelled dome with beautiful decorations on a white backdrop. Inside are different themes of art, including the perfect type of mosaic tiles, vaulted tiling with painting, stuccos, beautiful precious inscriptions, and the wonderful calligraphy of the greatest calligraphers of the Safavid era, precious wood-carvings, silversmithing, illuminated manuscripts and paintings. 

There are four wooden chests inside this shrine, the most significant one belonging to Sheikh Safieddin, thus the dome also being known as the Tomb of Sheikh Safieddin. In addition there have been others also buried at this spot including the Sheikh’s great grandson. Beneath the dome, there is a vault that is one of the valuable works of the tomb, and around the edge of it, there is an inscription carved in the Reqa' style calligraphy.

Shah Ismael I is buried in the adjacent structure which has a square base (approximately 2.5 meters wide) which transitions into a domed cylinder towards its top. It contains the only triple-shelled dome of the complex and is shorter and narrower compared to the adjacent structures. The interior is decorated with beautifully layered ornaments of the Safavi period in cobalt blue and gold. The upper area of the tomb is decorated with a combination of blue and turquoise tiles in a bed of brick tiles while the margin of the upper part of the stem and the shell of the dome have black, white, turquoise, golden, yellow, and cobalt blue tiles.

Behind the two tombs and accessible from the courtyard via a silver double-door and corridor with a low roof is the Haramkhaneh (aka andarooni). Two graves with marble tombs are on each side of the corridor. The area is square shaped with a brick dome. According to some sources Sheikh Safieddin’s wife is buried there and he had designated this spot as such 10 years before his own death. According to other sources it was built particularly to bury the Sheikh's son. There are 10 graves in Haramkhaneh with marble gravestones and wooden chests. It is covered by a double-shelled dome. The inscriptions of the Haramkhaneh building consist of Quranic verses, words of the prophet, and verses of Farsi poetry.

The China House, or Chinikhaneh, is at the far east side of the complex. It was one of the first parts constructed and initially was a gathering place for dervishes. Gradually it became a storing spot for valuables including books and chinaware. As the Safavids had put a significant effort towards maintaining security in the Iranian plateau, the Chinese Empire gifted them 1,200 pieces of white and blue chinaware. This asymmetrical, domed building is located to the east of Daralhuffaz Hall and is linked to it through two narrow entrances. The inside of the building is made as a tetragon with a polygonal depression in each of the walls of the room, which altogether make four semi-octagonal blind arcades. The tetragonal plan morphs into a circle on top. The interior is decorated with green and yellow adobe style tiles while the walls are made of wood and plaster. The dome of this structure is also double-shelled.

The Chellehkhaneh is sandwiched between the courtyard and the garden. There were actually 2 Chellehkhaneh structures, an old and new one. The older one was mainly used by Sheikh Safieddin and has been destroyed over the years. The newer one is on the southern side past the garden and was constructed during the time of Sadreddin Musa for his and his disciples’ usage. It initially contained 40 chambers, two floors and a dome although little of it is left. The reason for its naming is derived from the act of praying for 40 (Chel) consecutive days.

Daralhadith is located on the southern side of the main courtyard, across from the Jannatsara Mosque and adjacent to Chellehkhaneh. It consists of an ivan in the form of hall in the middle, and two small porticos on either side accompanied by various graves. Its exterior is decorated with colored tiles and hadiths.

Shahidgah is a cemetery scattered around the south and east perimeter of the complex. It initially spanned further but some of its land later was used for construction of homes and a school.

In 2010, the religious funerary complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The mausoleum was added to the Iran National Heritage List on January 6, 1932 and is administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.