In the east of Shiraz, at the end of Lotfali Khan Zand Avenue, lies the resting place of Sheikh Rouzbehan Baghli Fasaee. Embracing the Sheikh’s tomb, the neighborhood is called Sheikh Gate, as stated in shiraz.ir.
The mausoleum courtyard starts with three stone steps reaching a roofless porch which surrounds the main building. Next, is the domed ‘iwan’ leading to another smaller one that lodges the tomb of Sheikh and two of his sons and grandsons.
An inscription on the forehead of the iwan reads: “The resting place of the great sheikh Abu Mohammad Rouzbehan, born in Fasa in 522 Hijri (Lunar/Islamic calendar) – 507 Sola Hijri/Iranian Calendar – passed away in Shiraz in 606 Hijri – 588 Iranian Calendar.
Another brass plaque with the famous phrase of “La ilaha ill-allah” (meaning there is no god but the God almighty, declaring the oneness of God) on it is installed on the iwan. Under the plaque, on a stone piece is found a hemistich of a verse: “O, thou the bearer of secrets each upon each heart”.
Across the entrance, there is an alcove with two traditional grille windows (in Persian called Orsi) and mosaic tiles. Between the two windows lies an epigraph with detailed information about the sheikh and the monument including the names and dates of the start and ending of the building project.
On the south side of the alcove, there is another inscription containing two parts, again presenting information about Sheikh Rouzbehan. It reveres the sheikh as a ‘magnanimous mystic’.
The courtyard of the mausoleum is covered with rock-faced cobblestones and the indoor spaces floors are mosaic filled. On the tombstone of the sheikh there is a large green stone box; around the box names of the fourteen infallibles/impeccable are written in Thuluth calligraphy. On the stone the date of the sheikh’s demise is carved in Arabic. His tombstone is 169 centimeters long and 56 cm wide with the height of 46 cm.
The Sheikh-e Rouzbehan Mausoleum was inscribed on the list of Iran Cultural and National Heritage Sites in 1974 (1353).
