Nur al-Din Ni'matullah Vali Shrine

In 1406 Aleppo-born Sufi shaykh, and later saint, Shah Nur ad-Din Ni'matullah Vali moved to Mahan, a village outside Kirman, where he established an order of dervishes. He died in 1431 aged over 100. In 1436 a shrine was erected in his honor and became a pilgrimage site; with the attention of successive rulers contributing various additions over the centuries.The shrine complex as it now stands, comprises three courtyards arranged axially communicating with dependent structures. The earliest work is attributed to the Bahmanid ruler Ahmed I Vali who erected the sanctuary chamber in 1436. Shah Abbas I undertook extensions and renovations in 1601, including renovation or reconstruction of the dome. During the Qajar period the site was particularly popular, necessitating the construction of additional courtyards to accommodate increased numbers of pilgrims. The minarets also date from this period.Sources:Golombek, Lisa, and Donald Wilber. The Timurid Architecture of Iran and Turan, 394-395. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988.Lockhart, Laurence. Persian Cities. London: Luzac and Co. Ltd., 1960.Pope, Arthur Upham. "Timurid Architecture: b. Typical Monuments." In A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present, edited by Pope, Arthur Upham and Phyllis Ackerman (assistant editor), Vol. 3 Architecture, Its Ornament, City Plans, Gardens, 3rd ed., 1158-1159. Tehran: Soroush Press, 1977.