Imamzadeh

Imamzadeh

An Imāmzādeh (Persian: امام‌زاده‎, meaning Imām-born) is a word found in both the Persian and Urdu languages, that refers to an immediate descendant of a Shi'a Imam.

Imamzadeh means “offspring” or descendent of an imam. There are many other different ways of spelling this term. Some of these are imamzada, imamzadah, and emamzadah. These all have the same meanings.

Imamzadeh is also a term for a shrine-tomb of the descendents of Shi’i imams that are directly related to the Prophet Muhammad. These shrines are only for the descendants of imams and they are not for imams themselves. Imamzadehs are also sayyids, though not all sayyids are considered imamzadehs. These shrine-tombs are used as centers of Shi’i devotion and pilgrimages. These shrine-tombs are also believed to have miraculous properties and the ability to heal. Many of these are located in Iraq, Medina, and Iran. There are many important imamzadehs. Two of these are Fatima al-Masumah, the sister of Imam Ali ar-Rida the eighth imam, and Zaynab, the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib, considered by Shi'a Muslims to be the first Shi'i imam, and by Sunni Muslims as the fourth Rashid Caliph. Imamzadehs are not traditionally women.

Many people visit the imamzadehs that are relatively close to them. There are also special ziyarat-namas (pilgrimages) for many of the imamzadehs. Some of these pilgrimages even happen annually during the certain time of year. Some of the imamzadehs are not as well kept as others. According to Reinisch an imamzadeh that he saw was mostly in ruins, though it is still important.