Shiraz’s burial grounds read like a who’s-who of Persian culture — stroll them and you’ll find poets, kings and mystics waiting in gardens, domes and desert stones.
You cannot walk the land of Shiraz and ignore its historic tombs. Around this ancient city many celebrated figures have lived — luminaries whose names alone reflect the brilliant identity of a millennia-old land.
Shiraz’s name is bound up with its illustrious figures. Hafez, Saadi, Khwaju Kermani and Cyrus the Great are only a portion of the greats who lived here. The fame of Shiraz’s historic monuments draws many tourists from around the world every year, who come to admire the craft found throughout these sites.
One of Shiraz’s principal tourist attractions is the Hafezieh complex — the site that contains the tomb of Hafez, one of Iran’s greatest poets and literary figures. This place is recognised as a symbol of Iranian culture and art and each year hosts a large number of domestic and international visitors drawn to see it.
Khwaja Shams al-Din Hafez Shirazi is a leading figure in Persian poetry and literature. He is often called the Shakespeare of Iran and enjoys special popularity not only among Persian speakers but worldwide.
Notably, Hafez’s tomb has long been regarded as a key symbol of Iran and the Fars region; successive governments have consistently paid attention to this memorial.
The structure we now know as Hafezieh was designed in the early Pahlavi period (year 1314 in the Persian calendar) by André Godard, one of the leading archaeologists and architects of the time.
Observing the details of Hafezieh is fascinating. Its design draws inspiration from Karim Khan-era architecture. The tomb’s roof is a domed canopy set on eight stone columns. The interior surface of the dome is covered with inlaid tilework, and eight lines from a Hafez ghazal are engraved on continuous stone panels.
Hafezieh is regarded as Shiraz’s heart of serenity. Whenever you enter this extraordinary garden you will see lovers of Persian poetry scattered about. Spend sunset in this poetic, mystical space, lose yourself in Hafezieh’s unique calm, and try a divination with Hafez’s Divan.
Many cultural and artistic activities take place in this complex, including poetry recitals, sessions on Hafez studies, music workshops and more. Every year on the twentieth of Mehr (a date in the Persian calendar) a special memorial ceremony for Hafez is held and typically draws broad participation from Persian poetry fans.
During a visit to Hafezieh you may also see memorial graves for notable figures of the Fars region such as Forsat-od-Dowleh Shirazi, Mirza Nizamd al-Din Dastgheib, Ali Mohammad Qavam-ol-Molk, Mirza Mohammadreza Hakim, Mirza Abbas Hakim, Dr. Lotfali Soortgar Shirazi, Mohammad Khalil Raja’i and others.
A trip to Shiraz would be incomplete without visiting the Saadieh complex. This site is one of Shiraz’s best-known attractions and draws many domestic and international tourists each year. Saadi’s tomb stands on the northeastern slope of the city.
This place was originally a khanqah and a site of devotion where Saadi spent his later years. After his death in 691 AH (Islamic lunar calendar), he was buried here. In the seventh century AH, Shams al-Din Mohammad Saheb Divani — a minister of the time — ordered the first construction of a memorial over Saadi’s tomb. The structure underwent repairs and additions through subsequent eras. Ultimately, in year 1329 of the Persian calendar, under the direction of Ali-Asghar Hekmat and the National Monuments Association of Iran, a new building replaced the older structure. The new design, by Mohsen Foroughi, draws on the Chehel Sotoun palace and blends traditional and modern Iranian architectural elements.
Saadi’s tomb is one of Shiraz’s most beautiful buildings. Externally it appears cubic, while the interior is designed as an octagon. Strolling Saadieh’s garden brings renewed energy and calm. The total grounds exceed ten thousand square metres. Don’t miss the fishpond — its water is supplied by a spring beneath the structure.
Watching Saadieh’s azure dome is one of Shiraz’s memorable experiences. Study every detail: the bases and columns, the carvings and tilework, the marble walls and more.
One of Saadi’s couplets appears on the garden entrance door, expressing how the soil of Saadi’s Shiraz still gives off the scent of love a thousand years after his death.
Near Saadi’s tomb stands the grave of Mohammad Shurideh Shirazi, a valued and important Iranian poet.
Shurideh Shirazi was a contemporary of major poets such as Saburi Khorasani and Malek-o-Shoara Bahar. He excelled in composing qasidas and ghazals; his poetry is full of fresh themes and novel expressions and features fine idioms and rhetoric in Persian.
Born in 1247, he lost his sight at age seven due to smallpox, yet he continued his studies. Mohammad Shurideh — a modern Shirazi poet — had a special talent for using colloquial expressions in his verse.
You cannot visit Shiraz without travelling to Pasargadae. Cyrus the Great is Iran’s most famous and beloved king.
Cyrus’s tomb and the Pasargadae complex are core symbols of Fars Province and the Shiraz region. Cyrus’s tomb sits about one kilometre from the palaces of Pasargadae; a very simple yet striking structure that has stood firm for over twenty-five centuries. Cyrus’s mausoleum is typically the first building you see when visiting Pasargadae. It is the most intact and least-restored building in the complex.
Cyrus the Great founded and was the first king of the Achaemenid dynasty. Between 559 and 529 BCE he ruled much of Asia. He is credited with founding the first large multi-national empire and is remembered for establishing justice, respect for religions, legal innovations, civilisational progress, territorial expansion, and freeing captives — accomplishments from his roughly thirty-year reign.
The tomb rises to more than 11 metres and is composed of white rectangular stone blocks laid horizontally to form the monument’s flat surfaces. The structure comprises six steps and a simple chamber. This extraordinary tomb was built by Cyrus during his lifetime and has been revered as a sacred, honored site in every era. According to historic accounts, after thirty years of rule Cyrus was wounded in battle with the Massagetae, an Iranian semi-nomadic tribe, and died three days later.
North of Shiraz, beside the Darvazeh-e Quran (Quran Gate), lies the tomb of Khwaju Kermani, one of Persia’s major poets and a principal tourist attraction in the area.
Khwaju Kermani was a great 8th-century AH mystic and one of the major figures of Persian literature. Though his origins are Kermani, his tomb is located in Shiraz.
The site’s grounds are beautifully arranged and the architecture is striking. Nearby there is a cave traditionally said to have been Khwaju’s dwelling.
This structure has been repaired and rebuilt many times and was registered in the national monuments list in year 1315 (Persian calendar) with registration number 916. An artificial waterfall and the Khaju mill on one side and the flowing water of the famous Rokanabad spring on the other make this spot one of Shiraz’s most picturesque attractions.
On Khwaju Kermani’s gravestone there is no inscription or mark — only a phrase from scripture is carved above it.
In one of Shiraz’s old neighbourhoods, Sang-Siah, stands the tomb of a major Islamic scholar and authority: Abu Bishr ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman ibn Qanbar al-Basri, known as Sibawayh Shirazi. He was a leading linguist and the founder of Arabic morphology and syntax.
Sibawayh is regarded as one of the most influential scholars in the development of the Arabic language; his book Al-Kitab is a principal reference in morphology and syntax — the first major work in this field and an authoritative source. In fact, Sibawayh was the first to address the details of the Arabic language, devising the rules for morphology, syntax and phonetics; diacritical marks like fatḥa, kasra, ḍamma and tanwīn are among his innovations.
In 180 AH while travelling to Khorasan he fell ill and was buried in Shiraz.
Sibawayh’s tomb architecture is very simple; inside, Khorasani-style tilework in vivid colours appears on three rectangular panels. The façade comprises three tall arches, within which Sibawayh’s tomb sits. On the facing wall a panel of inlaid tilework stands out. A brief biography of this great scholar is written in Nastaʿlīq script on the central tiles. The tomb itself consists of a black stone, and the neighbourhood’s name “Sang-Siah” (black stone) derives from the presence of Sibawayh’s grave there.
If you have not yet visited Shiraz, set aside time at the earliest opportunity to explore this remarkable city. The region contains so many sights that you will never forget its beauty. Visit the tombs of Shiraz’s luminaries and enjoy the rich history and authentic Iranian art.
Spend a delightful afternoon beside Hafez’s tomb, watch Saadi’s azure dome at sunset, and dedicate a day to visiting the Pasargadae complex and Cyrus the Great’s mausoleum.
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Include tomb visits as a central part of your Shiraz itinerary — they are essential attractions. | “Visiting Shiraz’s tombs should be one of the main activities you include on a trip to the city.” |
Spend sunset at Saadieh to see the famous blue dome — it’s highlighted as a memorable experience. | “Watching Saadieh’s azure dome is one of Shiraz’s memorable experiences.” |
Allow a full day for Pasargadae and Cyrus’s tomb — it’s a principal site outside the city. | “You cannot visit Shiraz without travelling to Pasargadae.” |
Explore Hafezieh calmly — the garden hosts readings, cultural events and an annual memorial on the 20th of Mehr. | “Many cultural and artistic activities take place... Every year on the twentieth of Mehr a special memorial ceremony for Hafez is held.” |
Note that several tombs have been repaired or rebuilt over time — look for architectural layers from different eras. | “The structure underwent repairs and additions through subsequent eras... this structure has been repaired and rebuilt many times.” |
