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MESHED (properly Mash-had, " the plac...

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Originally appearing in Volume V18, Page 178 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MESHED (properly Mash-had, " the See also:place of martyrdom ")  , See also:capital of the See also:province of See also:Khorasan in See also:Persia, situated in a See also:plain watered by the Kashaf-rud (See also:Tortoise See also:river), a tributary of the Hari-rud (river from See also:Herat, which after its junction with the Kashaf is called Tejen), 46o m . E. of See also:Teheran (55o by road) and 200 M . N.W. of Herat, in 36° 17' N., 590 36' E., at an See also:elevation of 3800 ft . Its See also:population is about 70,000 fixed and 1o,000 floating, the latter consisting of pilgrims to the See also:shrine of See also:Imam Reza.l The See also:town is of irregular shape, about 6 m. in circumference and surrounded by a mud See also:wall flanked with towers . In the See also:south-western corner of the enclosure stands the citadel (See also:ark), within a wall 25 ft. high and a broad dry ditch which is 40 ft. deep in parts and can be flooded from neighbouring See also:water-courses . The See also:city has five See also:gates, and from one of them, called See also:Bala Khiaban See also:gate (upper Khiaban), the See also:main See also:street (Khiaban), 25 yds. broad, runs in a See also:north-See also:west–south-See also:east direction, forming a See also:fine See also:avenue planted with See also:plane and mulberry trees and with a stream of water See also:running down its See also:middle . The shrine of Imam Reza is the most venerated spot in Persia, and yearly visited by more than 100,000 pilgrims . See also:Eastwick thus describes it (See also:Journal of a Diplomat's Three Years' See also:Residence in Persia, See also:London, 1864) : " The quadrangle of the shrine seemed to be about 150 paces square . It was paved with large flagstones and in the centre was a beautiful kiosk or See also:pavilion, covered with See also:gold and raised over the See also:reservoir of water for ablutions . This pavilion was built by See also:Nadir Shah . All See also:round the See also:northern, western and See also:southern sides of the quadrangle ran, at some 10 ft. from the ground, a See also:row of alcoves, similar to that in which I was sitting, and filled with mullas in See also:white turbans and dresses . In each of the sides was a gigantic archway, the wall being raised in a square from above the entrance .

The height to the See also:

top of this square wall must have been 90 or 100 ft . The alcoves were white, seemingly of See also:stone or See also:plaster; but the archways were covered with See also:blue See also:varnish or blue tiles, with beautiful See also:inscriptions in white and gold . Over the western See also:arch-way was a white cage for the muazzin, and outside it was a gigantic See also:minaret 120 ft. high, and as thick as the See also:Duke of See also:York's See also:column in London . The beauty of this minaret cannot be exaggerated . It had an exquisitely carved capital, and above that a See also:light See also:pillar, seemingly to ft. high; and this and the See also:shaft below the capital, or about 20 ft., were covered with gold . All this See also:part of the See also:mosque (shrine) was built by Shah Abbas . In the centre of the eastern See also:side of the quadrangle two gigantic doors were thrown open to admit the See also:people into the See also:adytum or inner mosque (shrine) where is the See also:marble See also:tomb of Imam Reza, surrounded by a See also:silver railing with knobs of gold . There was a See also:flight of steps ascending to these doors, and beyond were two smaller doors encrusted with jewels—the rubies were particularly fine . The inner mosque would contain 3000 persons . Over it See also:rose a See also:dome entirely covered with gold, with two minarets at the sides, likewise gilt all over . On the right of the Imam's tomb is that of Abbas Mirza, grandfather of the reigning Shah.' Near him several other princes and chiefs of See also:note are buried . Beyond the See also:golden dome, in striking and beautiful contrast with it, was a smaller dome of See also:bright blue .

Here begins the mosque of Gauhar See also:

Shad.' The quadrangle is larger than that of Shah Abbas; and at the eastern side is an immense blue dome, out of which quantities of grass were growing, the See also:place being too sacred to be disturbed . In front of the dome rose two lofty minarets covered with blue tiles . In the See also:boulevard of the Bala Khiaban is a See also:kitchen supported by the revenues of the shrine, where 800 persons are fed daily." The buildings of the shrine together with a space extending to about one See also:hundred yards beyond the gates of the shrine on each side is See also:sanctuary (bast) . Within it are many shops and lodgings, and criminals, even murderers, may live there in safety . The only other notable buildings in the place are some colleges (medresseh), the See also:oldest being the M . Do-See also:dar, i.e . " See also:college of two doors," built in 1439 by Shah Rukh, and some fine caravanserais, two dating from 1680 . 1 Abut See also:Hassan See also:Ali, al Reza, commonly known as Imam Reza, the eighth imam of the See also:Shiites, a son of Musa al Kazim, the seventh imam, was the See also:leader from whom the party of the Alids (Shiites) had such hopes under the See also:caliphate of See also:Mamun . Gold coins (dinars) of this See also:caliph are extant on which al Reza's name appears with the See also:title of See also:heir-apparent . The imam died in See also:March 819 in the See also:village Sanabad near Tus, some See also:miles north-west of See also:Meshed . To the Shiites he is a See also:martyr, being believed to have been poisoned by Mamun . ' This refers to Nasr-ud-din (d .

1896), grandfather of Shah Mahommed Ali (1907) . Gauhar Shad was the wife of Shah Rukh (1404–1447), and was murdered ,by that monarch's successor See also:

Abu Said, See also:August 1, 1457 . Her mosque was built in 1418 . Without the pilgrims who come to visit it, Meshed would be a poor place, but lying on the eastern confines of Persia, See also:close to See also:Afghanistan, See also:Russian Central See also:Asia and Transcaspia, at the point where a number of See also:trade routes converge, it is very important politically, and the See also:British and Russian governments have maintained consulates-See also:general there since 1889 . Meshed had formerly a See also:great transit trade to Central Asia, of See also:European manufactures, mostly See also:Manchester goods, which came by way of See also:Trebizond, See also:Tabriz and Teheran; and of See also:Indian goods and See also:pro-duce, mostly See also:muslin and Indian and See also:green teas, which came by way of Bander Abbasi . With the opening of the Russian railway from the See also:Caspian to See also:Merv, See also:Bokhara and See also:Samarkand in 1886–1887, Russian manufacturers were enabled to compete in Central Asia with their western rivals, and the value of European manufactures passing Meshed in transit was much reduced . In 1894 the Russian See also:government enforced new customs regulations, by which a heavy See also:duty is levied on Anglo-Indian manufactures and produce, excepting See also:pepper, See also:ginger and drugs, imported into Russian Asia by way of Persia; and the importation of green teas is altogether prohibited except by way of See also:Batum, See also:Baku, Uzunada and the Transcaspian railway . Since then the transit trade has been practically nil . In 1890 General Maclean, the British See also:consul-general, reported that there were 65o See also:silk, 40 See also:carpet and 320 See also:shawl looms at See also:work . The carpet-looms at work now number several hundreds, while looms of silk and shawl number less than See also:half what they did in 189o . Meshed has See also:telegraph (since 1876) and See also:post (since 1879) offices, and the Imperial See also:Bank of Persia opened a See also:branch here in 1891 . The See also:climate is temperate and healthy .

The coldest See also:

month is See also:January, with a mean temperature of about 32° F., while the hottest month is See also:July, with a mean of 78° . The highest temperature. recorded in a See also:period of six years was 91°, the lowest 15° . The mean See also:annual rainfall during nine years (1899–1907) was nearly 91 in., about one-eighth of it being represented by See also:snow . (A .

End of Article: MESHED (properly Mash-had, " the place of martyrdom ")
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