Mausoleum of Prophet Qeydar
The Mausoleum of Prophet Qeydar is a Shi'ite mausoleum located in the city of Qeydar in Khodabandeh County, in the province of Zanjan, Iran. It is believed by locals to be the burial place of Qedar, the son of Ishmael.
The mausoleum was added to the Iran National Heritage List in 1938 and is administered by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Iran.
History
The original structure existed before the 14th century but was badly ruined. The present structure was built in 1319 under the orders of Bulughan Khatun, the wife of the Ilkhanid ruler Ghazan. In 1350, the building was restored and renovated with funding from a Sufi religious leader named Timur Khan Soltaniyeh. In modern times, between 1901 and 1902, the governor of Zanjan, Jahanshah Khan, restored the mausoleum.Architecture
The mausoleum of Prophet Qeydar has an area of, in a rectangular shape, its central chamber topped by a brick dome. The entrance is on the southern facade. On the southern side of the shabestan is an early Nastaliq inscription dating from 1319, which details the construction of the new building by Bulughan Khatun.Walnut wood embedded with gold and silver is used to construct the zarih that encloses the grave of Qedar in the central chamber of the mausoleum. Islamic calligraphy can be seen engraved in the tomb chamber as well. Aside from housing a tomb and prayer hall, the building includes a hostel for pilgrims as well as a basement that was used to rear cattle. There are rooms for the clerics to hold meetings.