Nowadays, Mashhad has experienced significant growth and modernization. The living heart of Mashhad is religious tourism due to the Imam Reza shrine. Mashhad achieved the highest importance for itself during the Qajar dynasty and has kept it till today. The city became a center for religious scholarship and pilgrimage, attracting Shia Muslims from various parts of the world. Shia Muslims have great respect for their Imams (12 generations of grandsons of Mohammad the prophet of Islam). Imam Reza is the only Imam who lived in Iran for a limited time. but he is highly respected and loved in Iran. The outer layer of his shrine is covered with gold, and the inner part has the best kind of “mirror artwork,” known as “Aine kari“.
