Where is the tomb of Nader Shah Afshar?

Who is the designer of Nader Shah's tomb?

The designer of Nader Shah's tomb is Houshang Seyhoun, an architect who left behind many significant works. He also designed the tombs of Avicenna, Khayyam, Ferdowsi, and Kamalolmolk. Seyhoun, known as the architect of Iran's enduring buildings, lived for 93 years and passed away five years ago. You can see his masterful artistry in the design of Nader Shah's tomb.

Before his death, Nader Shah ordered the construction of his tomb. In 1145 AH, a small tomb was built for the Afshar king opposite the Imam Reza shrine. In 1296 AH, during the Qajar period, Qavam al-Saltanah transferred Nader Shah’s remains to Mashhad.

In 1336 SH, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ordered the construction of a new tomb for the king of the Afshar dynasty. Houshang Seyhoun was commissioned to design this tomb. The cost of construction was covered by the taxes from the pilgrims of Mashhad.

The design and construction of the Naderi Museum took four years, and in 1342 SH, the tomb of Nader Shah was inaugurated. 44 years later, the Naderi Museum underwent renovations and reopened after six months.

History of Nader Shah’s tomb

After the fall of the Safavid dynasty and the rule of Mahmud Afghan and Ashraf Afghan over Iran, Nader Shah Afshar (1100–1160 AH), known in Europe as "The Last Conqueror of the East," "Napoleon of Iran," and "Alexander II," rose up from Khorasan and suppressed local challengers, Afghans, and the Ottoman Empire. In 1148 AH, he convened a gathering at the Mugan Plain and declared himself the King of Iran.

Nader Shah, who chose Mashhad as the capital of Iran for the first time, established his first tomb in this city between 1143–1145 AH. After officially becoming the king in 1148 AH, he set out to conquer India. Upon returning from this successful campaign, he decided to build another tomb for himself in Mashhad.

He ordered large black marble stones from Dehkhawarqan, Azerbaijan, to be brought to Khorasan. Some of these stones weighed between 20 to 60 tons, making transportation highly costly. Three of these massive stones were named "Iran Kharrab," "Alam Kharrab," and "Kharaj Alam."

In the later years of his life, Nader Shah constructed another building as a family tomb, called "The Sun Palace." However, his body was not buried in any of these three tombs. After his murder in 1160 AH, Nader Shah’s head was sent from Quchan to Herat, and his headless body was temporarily buried in one of these tombs. Later, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar moved it to Tehran.

Therefore, Nader Shah did not have a tomb in Mashhad for a long time until Qavam al-Saltanah, in the late Qajar era, built a new tomb for him in 1296 AH, at the site of one of the destroyed tombs. The remains were transferred from Tehran to this location. For a long time, this structure stood until 1335 SH, when the Iranian National Heritage Association decided to build a tomb worthy of Nader Shah's name, which began construction in 1336 SH and was completed in 1342 SH.

Architecture of Nader Shah's tomb

The current tomb of Nader Shah Afshar is located in a garden of 14,400 square meters. The main structure covers an area of 12,000 square meters and consists of four parts: a hall of 5.15 by 4.8 meters, the main tomb area of 15 by 15 meters, and two additional spaces on either side of approximately 4 meters in width and 5.2 meters in height.

Sixteen solid stone columns, each 26.2 meters tall, surround the tomb. The ceiling reaches more than 6 meters high. Inside, there is a twelve-step platform, the tomb itself, a tent-like covering over the grave, a raised platform beside the grave with a statue of Nader Shah riding a horse accompanied by three others, a book sales kiosk, and two museum halls. One hall displays weapons from the era of Nader Shah, and the other showcases pre-Nader Shah weaponry.

Where is Nader Shah’s tomb?

Nader Shah's tomb is located in Mashhad, Shirazi Street, at the Naderi Museum Garden, near the Martyrs' Crossroad (formerly Naderi Crossroad). The tomb features a statue of the powerful king riding a horse on a large stone pedestal, surrounded by his soldiers. To visit this historical landmark, you can head to Imam Reza's shrine and walk just one crossroad further to find the tomb of Nader Shah. The tomb is only a five-minute walk from the shrine. If you're further away, you can take a local bus heading to the shrine and get off at the shrine station, from where it’s a short walk to Nader Shah's tomb.

Visiting hours: The tomb is open every day from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The entrance fee is 2500 tomans per person. We recommend reserving a hotel near the site. One suggestion is the Ghasr Talaei Hotel, located just 3.5 kilometers away, around a 6-minute drive from Nader Shah’s tomb.

Distance from Nader Shah’s tomb to the shrine: It’s only a 5-minute walk from the Imam Reza shrine to Nader Shah's tomb at the Naderi Museum Garden.