Iran
8 Best Religious Sites in Iran
The temples, churches and sacred sites travelers rate highest across Iran, with what makes each worth the trip.
Ranked by traveler review volume across 331 tracked places in Iran. Updated monthly.
Harun al-Rashid Mausoleum
Religious site · MashhadThe Harun al-Rashid Mausoleum is the final resting place of the famous Abbasid caliph, situated within the vast Imam Reza shrine complex in Mashhad.
Read our full guide →Imam Reza shrine
Religious site · MashhadThe Imam Reza shrine is a vast religious complex in Mashhad, Iran, covering nearly 60 hectares and serving as the spiritual heart of the country.
Read our full guide →Tomb of Khajeh Rabie
Religious site · MashhadThe Tomb of Khajeh Rabie is a Twelver Shi'ite mausoleum complex in Mashhad, Iran, completed in 1617.
Read our full guide →Shah Mosque (Mashhad)
Religious site · MashhadShah Mosque in Mashhad is a historic place of worship situated close to the Imam Reza shrine complex.
Read our full guide →Tomb of Pir Palandouz
Religious site · MashhadThe Tomb of Pir Palandouz is a modest yet spiritually significant mausoleum honoring a local mystic.
Read our full guide →Emamzadeh Saleh
Religious site · TehranFree entryEmamzadeh Saleh is a significant religious shrine located in the Tajrish neighborhood of northern Tehran. It is the burial place of Saleh, a descendant of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh Shia Imam.
Read our full guide →Goharshad Mosque
Religious site · MashhadGoharshad Mosque, built in 1418 by Empress Goharshad, is a masterpiece of Timurid architecture located within the Imam Reza shrine complex.
Read our full guide →Sepahsalar Mosque
Religious site · TehranFree entrySepahsalar Mosque, also known as the Shahid Motahari Mosque, is one of the largest and most significant mosques in Tehran.
Read our full guide →
Good to know
What is the best-known of the temples, churches and sacred sites in Iran?
Harun al-Rashid Mausoleum in Mashhad is the most reviewed, with 441 traveler reviews and a 4.8 rating. That makes it the safe choice if you are only fitting in one.
Which of Iran's temples, churches and sacred sites is worth going out of your way for?
Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad rates highest at 4.8 out of 5 across 441 reviews. Smaller crowds than the headline entry usually explain the gap.
Which city in Iran has the most temples, churches and sacred sites?
Mashhad, with 6 on this list, ahead of Tehran on 2. The list spans 2 cities in total, capped at three per city so one big city cannot crowd out the rest of the country.
Are any of these temples, churches and sacred sites free to visit?
Yes, 2: Emamzadeh Saleh, Sepahsalar Mosque. That is based on each place's own visiting information, not an assumption about the category.
How is this list of temples, churches and sacred sites ranked?
By how many travelers reviewed each place, filtered to those rated well enough to be worth your time, drawn from 331 tracked places in Iran. No one pays to appear on it, and the order is refreshed monthly as new reviews land.
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