Mashhad: Iran's most sacred shrine

Second city of Iran, Mashhad holds the most visited Shia shrine in the world, pilgrimage destination for millions every year.

The subway conveniently connects the center to the main shrine.

The Imam Reza Sanctuary, a gilded complex among the world's largest, houses the tomb of the eighth Shia imam and draws uninterrupted pilgrimage.

A few minutes away, the Sanctuary Museum displays Quranic manuscripts, ancient carpets, and precious gifts offered to the sanctuary by rulers and devotees over the centuries.

Continuing toward the center, one walks along pedestrian avenues surrounding the complex, animated by shops of Persian carpets and saffron cultivated in the surrounding region.

Toward evening, gardens around the sanctuary animate evening walks among pilgrims from every corner of the Shia world and local families.

The Shrine of Imam Reza, expanded over more than one thousand years, receives over twenty million pilgrims annually, making it one of the world's most visited religious sites after Mecca.

Khorasan, the province of which Mashhad is the capital, remains famous throughout Iran for saffron cultivation, the world's most precious spice by weight.