Saadieh

As one of the main tourist attractions of the fantastic city of Shiraz, the mausoleum of Saadi, known as Sadieh, attracts a huge number of domestic and foreign visitors to pay homage to the renowned Persian poet of the 13th century and his high position in the world of classical Persian literature and to show their interest in his works, prose and poems.

The rich writings and deep ideas with social and moral values make this Iranian poet a man for all centuries in a way that his words have been quoted by both Persian speaking people and western sources, showing to what extent so many hearts have been touched by his words and so many minds have been flourished to reach higher levels of humanity.

Saadi is reputed for his eloquence in using the language through aphorisms as his admirable literary works are easy to understand but hard to imitate. Two of his most outstanding books are Bustan (The Orchard) written entirely in verse in 1257, introducing moral virtues and Golestan (The Rose Garden) mainly in prose in 1258, containing stories and personal anecdotes.

Also, Sasdi is known for writing enchanting lyrics and odes and some works in Arabic, blending human kindness, cynicism, humor and resignation, suggesting various concepts of justice, liberality, modesty, and contentment which make him the most lovable writer in Persian literature as he was entitled “Sheikh” due to his knowledge.

Ordered by Karim Khan, the ruler of the Zand dynasty in the 18th century, the Saadi’s mausoleum was built to further acknowledge this great master and later expanded in the form of a multi-sided building and a turquoise cupola on top.

Situated in the midst of a Persian garden surrounded by beautiful flowers and cypress trees, the mausoleum was built in a flat façade ornamented with Shirazi tiles which makes it look like a square structure from outside while it is octagonal with a large lamp hanging from the ceiling and parts of Saadi’s works on walls which flank the beautifully carved grave.

Other features of the mausoleum are a colonnade portico leading to the tomb of poet Shoorideh Shirazi and an underground pond leading to water channels in which some fish are crossing.

The magnificent monument is a fitting tribute to the grandeur of this outstanding scholar where art lovers can benefit from the ambiance of this location to enjoy reading his lyrics and odes and nice surrounding greenery as more and more people come to visit it and show their respect to the great poet.