Ardabil · Ardabil · Iran

Sheikh Safi Al-Din Ardabili Shrine

mausoleumUNESCOSafavidgoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: morning, afternoon

spiritual, grand, layered

A local would say...

The family buried here founded the Persian Empire and gave Iran its Shia identity — the mausoleum that launched a dynasty.

The dazzling mausoleum complex of Sheikh Safi od-Din — founder of the Safavid dynasty — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that inspired the Safavid imperial style. The complex includes a sequence of courts, shrines, a mosque and a remarkable chineh-khaneh (porcelain room) originally housing 1500 pieces of Chinese porcelain.