Mashhad

The city is best known as the home of the Imam Reza Shrine, where the eighth Shia Imam, Ali al-Rida, is buried. It is the most pilgrimaged site in Islam visited by nearly 30 million pilgrims annually, one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, and the world's largest mosque after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. Originally a small village, Mashhad was known as Sanabad before the martyrdom of Imam Reza. Located alongside Tus on the ancient Silk Road linking the region with Merv to the east, it grew substantially after the Imam's martyrdom, as people settled around his burial place and built homes in its vicinity. Overtime, the village came to be known as Mashhad, meaning "place of martyrdom." It soon emerged as one of the most important pilgrimage centers on earth. The economy of Mashhad has become reliant on pilgrimage, and the city has remained deeply conservative.