Expanding the Sacred Places of Astan Quds Razavi

The golden years after the Islamic Revolution, are in fact the periods that, as a new epoch, every day of which has added and granted glories to the devotees of the holy shrine of Imam Reza(A.S.)[Astan Quds Razavi].
From the very first days after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, developing and constructing activities (Projects) have been started in the Astan Quds Razavi and hitherto these development trends have been continued seriously and vigoriously by this holy organization.
During these golden years, creative power of ingenious architects along with the wise management of eperienced managers (engineers), the Sacred Premises of the Holy Shrine ot Imam Reza(A.S.) have been reconstructed and decorated so that the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) is changed into glorious world, full of eye-catching attractions in Mashhad.
Expanding the pilgrimage and religious spaces and the other places for pilgrims had been superior to the other affairs. Therefore with establishing the Organization of Constructing and Developing the Area Around the Holy Shrine or Imam Reza(A.S.), eye-catching steps have been taken in these fields, every one of which has been really a solution in some way.
The Astan Quds Razavi during these two decades after the Islamic revolution, has allotted hundred billions of Rials to reconstruct the porticos, courtyards and the new sacred premises situated around the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.). During these years, many skillful architects have enedavoured indefatigably to show the importance of the Islamic architecture to the public, and also manifest the matchless crafts of tile-work and mirror-work, along with building and reconstructing magnificent premises. All of these sincere efforts have been accomplished under the powerful management, so that statistically what has been performed during these two decades, is exactly four hundred times wider than what had been done during 1200 years, from the beginning of erecting the Holy Shrine.
The Development Organization of the Frontage of the Razavi Shrine:
The official functions of this organization are restricted to purchasing the plots round the Holy Shrine, implementing all developed projects and protecting the spaces of the buildings.
Because of annually increasing of the number of devotees and pilgrims of His Holiness Imam Reza (A.S.), the huge and magnificent project of developing and constructing the area around the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) was started in 1994. Hitherto, by performing and accompliching the first and second phases of the project more than eight billion rials have been expended merely through the financial sources of the Astan Quds Razavi organization without acquiring financial helps from government or other private organizations and people.
Perfoming the first phase of the mentioned project, in addition to expanding the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.), other steps including reconstructing and developing of the sanctuaries of Shaykh Toosi, Shaykh Tabarsi, Shaykh Hurr-e-Ameli and Shaykh Baha'i, the courtyards of Imam Khomeini (R.A.), Jumhoori-Islami (Islamic Republic), Qods and Razavi Grand (under construction), the porticos of Dar-al-Welayah, Dar-al-Hedayah, Dar-ur-Rahmah, Dar-al-Ikhlass, Dar-al-Hekmah and Dar-al-I'jabah, the Centeral Library and Center of Deeds and Documentation, the Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, the Treasury of the Holy Quran and Precious Objects and expanding the Inn (Mihmansara) of Imam Reza (A.S.), have been taken and accomplished by the Astan Qods Razavi.
Furthermore, the subway and the other traffic circles around the Imam Reza (A.S.) Square have been constructed during the second phase in order to solve the problem of traffic. In the following of the project, at present, about, eleven important sub-projects including the Razavi Grand Courtyard and lateral courtyards, reconstructing the complex of Pir-e-Palan-Doos, the portico under the Inqilab Courtyard, seminary and expanding the Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, the building of Islamic Research Foundation, the building of the Seminary Directorship of Khorasan, the entrance portals of three Traffic circles and hygienic complexes in an area over 309000 square meters are to be constucted by this holy orgnization.
It is worth mentioning that, Astan Quds Razavi in order to perform and accomplish all of these projects rapidly, has established some companies, including the Company of wood industries, the Company of Traditional Tiles, the Company of Quds Granite and the Machine-made Concrete Company of Astan Quds Razavi. Furthermote, successfully performing the sewage project, Astan Qods Razavi has solved one of the chronic problems of the Sacred Premises of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) and a part of the holy city of Mashhad.
Thus during the last 23 years the holy shrine has been expanded four times more than the total expansion in the last 1200 years.The expansion of the sacred places in the holy shrine after the victory of the Islamic Republic of Iran are as follows:
1- Expanding the Holy Zarih (Burial chamber) from three sides.
2- Constructing the Jumhuri-e-Islami courtyard.
3- Constructing the Quds Courtyard.
4- Constructing the Dar-ur-Hedayah Portico.
5- Constructing the Dar-ur-Rahma Portico.
6- Constructing the Dar-ur-Vilayah Portico
7- Constructing the Dar-ur-Hekmah Portico.
8- Constructing the new building of the Central Library and the Documentation Centre of the Astan Quds Razavi.
9- Constructing the Razavi University of the Islamic Sciences.
10- Constructing the subway (underpass) around the Holy Shrine.
11- Constructing the traffic circle of Shaykh-e-Tabarsi Sanctuary.
12- Constructing the traffic circle of Shaykh Hurr-e-Ameli Sanctuary.
13- Constructing the traffic circle of Shaykh-e-Toosi sanctuary.
14- Razavi Grand Courtyard (nearing completion).
15- Constructing Shaykh-e-Tabarsi sanctuary.
16- Constructing Shaykh Hurr-e-Ameli sanctuary.
17- Constructing Shaykh Bahai Sanctuary.
18- Constructing Shaykh-e-Toosi sanctuary.
19- Expanding Imam Reza (A.S.) Hospital (Dar-ush-Shafa)
20- Expanding Imam Reza(A.S.) Banquet Hall (Mihman Sara)
21- Expanding Hygienic and Social Welfare facilities.
22-Construting the Dar-al-I'jaba Portico
23-Construting the Dar-al-Thawrah Portico(nearing completion).
24-Constructing Six Towering Minarets in the Razavi Grand Courtyard each minaret with a height of 121 meters.(under construction)