Some gravestones in Iran, many dating from the Islamic period, have Beautiful ornamentations, such as Quranic verses with Kufi calligraphy, eslimi figures, and reticulations, which are not as elaborate as those of mausoleums nonethe- less they were carved on the gravestones of the wealthy and ruling class members of society. Even though gravestones have many vari- ations they can be organized into the following categories: 1. Horizontal black, gray or white gravestones that are either level with the ground or slightly raised, including many of the graves in the Central province. 2. Vertical or altar-shaped gravestones like those of Hafshjan, Sefid Chah, Torbat-e Jaam, Taibad, and Bastak cemetery in Larestan. 3. Plain vertical gravestones with no carvings such as those of Nashtifan cemetery. 4. Box-shaped gravestones like the ones in Hafshjan cemetery, Neshat Garden edifice in Lar, Sheikh Kalkhouran mausoleum in Ardebil, Haft-Tanan cemetery in Shiraz, and Bastak. 5. Sculptural gravestones shaped like lions, rams, horses or human figures in Khouzestan, Hafshjan, Chaleshtar, and Meshkin Shahr. Some of the most important historic cemeteries in Iran are introduced.
Khaled Nabi Cemetery: The strange ceme- tery of Khaled Nabi in Golestan sits at the top of a mountain and is a clear example of the habitation of cultural minorities in the region. The mausoleum of Khaled the prophet, his father in law, and his servant is near Kalaleh in Golestan province. The period of build- ing this cemetery is unknown. The women’s gravestones are shaped like ram horns, per- haps representing female breasts. The men’s gravestones are phallic shaped.
سنگ گور تكية هفت تنان، شيراز سنگ گور در مقبرة شيخ كلخوران، اردبيلA gravestone in Haft-tanan, Shiraz A gravestone in Sheikh Khalkhouran, Ardebil
سنگ گورهاي اطراف اراك سنگ گورهاي بروجردGravestones in Arak Gravestones in Boroujerd
سنگ گور صندوقي عمارت نشاط لارA box-shaped gravestone in Neshat garden, Larسنگ گور مشهد ميغان اراكA gravestone in Arak
Pir-e Morad Abad Cemetery: In the cemetery next to the Pir-e Morad Abad tower in the north of Arak, a one way comb on the gravestone represents the graves of men while a two way comb is used on the graves of women. An image of a prayer stone and rosary beads has also been carved on these gravestones, which signifies that the deceased are of the Shiite faith.
Stone ram and lions in Chaleshtar castle Stone lions in Khouzestan
قوچ، اسب و تنديس در جمهوري آذربايجانRam, horse and statue in cemeteries of Azerbaijan
Hafshjan Cemetery was famed for its lion shaped gravestones. These stone lions would be placed on the graves of champions, martyrs, or the young, but today there is no trace of them left in the
cemetery and only a few can be found in the city park. Motifs of guns, swords, daggers, and bent cyprus trees were carved on these stone figures represent- ing the eternal spirit, and a horseman
with sword, or a saddled horse ready for the deceased. Spears and trees are also were carved on the stones.
Nashtifan Cemetery: Nashtifan is a vil- lage to the east of Khorasan Razavi. The gravestones of this cemetery are vertical and their height increases based on the importance of the deceased. There is an image of a palm of a hand on some of these gravestones. This image represents the amputated hand of Hazrat Abbas in the Shiite religion and is considered holy. But in this cemetery that belongs to the Sunni sect it must have a different significance. This image is also considered holy in the cemeteries of India, Morocco, Tunis, the Re-
public of Azerbaijan, and among Hebrews and Buddhists.
Torbat-e Jaam Cemetery: Sheikh Ahmad Jaami, the renowned mystic, is buried in this town. In the year 844 Lunar Hegira (LH) Zein Jaame Shirazi built him a beautiful memorial. A number of vertically installed gravestones are around. These have the name, family name, and the date of birth and death of the deceased carved on them, along with verses from the Quran and beautiful eslimi figures. These gravestones
have different heights and are all white, gray or black. The cemetery belongs to the Sunni sect.
Bastak Cemetery: There are a few mau- soleums and old vaults in this cemetery that are reminiscent of the Hindu temple of Bandar Abbas. In many cases two identical gravestones are placed at the top and bot- tom of the grave, and list the name, date of passing and in some instances, the profes- sion of the deceased.
Sefid Chah Cemetery: It seems that this cemetery was established for the burial of some local rulers. From the 4th century Lunar Hegira (LH) onwards, the motif of an altar was carved onto the gravestones, which is a symbol of Mithraism and an allegory for the doorway to God and true being, both before and after Islam.
Yaeri Cemetery is comprised of a large fort with a heavy, dry mounted defense wall and an area with stone walls for performing religious rituals. Around 450 ancient graves, a historic cave and vari- ous mounds from the Islamic period have been found in this area.
- http://seeb-talkh.blogpot.com/2007/12/blog-post-1958.
- Yek.ir/index.php?action=show.news&news id=290-39k .«مقالة »مرده ها در حيات اجتماعي ما شريك اند