User:Jcuret/sandbox

The Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah was erected by architect Qavam al-Din of Shiraz in 1425, in Herat, Afghanistan. Patron of this monument is Shah Rukh, ruler of the Timurid Dynasty. He commissioned the site as a memorial mausoleum for patron-saint Abd Allah Ansari. Ansari was both a sufi saint [1] and saint of Herat. Another common name for this monument is shrine of Abdallah Ansari. The Timurids reigned after the collapse of the Mongol empire in 1335. The mongols were a central asian ethnographic group, thus the timurids artistic styles were influenced by asiatic traditions. The mausoleum was built for Abd Allah Ansari for resting place and the public wished to be buried besides him because they venerated the patron saint. However, commoners were not meant to be buried here and was only meant for those who had elite status within society. The graveyard was one of the richest in the east of Herat, and the tombs of a varied populace were embellished with stones of every color and every size. The tombs were designed for princes, dervishes, state officials, soldiers, poets, and others who held a high status in society. Trees surmount the tomb of Ansari and north from it stands a tall marble column and headstone erected in his honor. [2] Qavam al-Din ibn Zayn al-Din Shirazi, traveled from his hometown of Shirazi to the northern parts of Iran. By the time he was commissioned by Shah Rukh, a Timurid ruler, to build the shrine, he had developed his own architectural style integrated with Iranian elements.[3]