Imamzadeh

An imamzadeh (Persian: امامزاده, romanized: emāmzādeh) (lit: "Twelve Imams's son, daughter") is a Persian term with two related meanings: a type of holy person in Shia Islam, and the shrine-tomb of such a person.

There are many different ways of spelling the word in English,[1] such as imamzada, imamzadah and emamzadah.

Two of these are Fātimah bint Mūsā, the sister of Imam Ali al-Ridha, the eighth Twelver Imam, and Zaynab bint Ali, daughter of Ali, considered by Shi'i Muslims to be the first Imam and by Sunni Muslims as the fourth Rashid.

[3] Secondly, imamzadeh is a term for a shrine-tomb of the descendants of Imams, who are directly related to Muhammad.

[5] The Imamzadehs were so influential that some cities or parts of cities are named after the Imamzadehs who are buried there, for example, Torbat-e Heydarieh, Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh in Gilan, Astaneh near Arak, and Shahreza.