Imamzadeh Glorification Day in Iran Date in the current year: June 8, 2024

In Shia Islam, the term “imamzadeh” refers to immediate descendants of a Shia Imam. It is also used to denote shrine-tombs of the descendants of imams, who are directly related to the Prophet Muhammad. Imamzadeh Glorification Day was officially established by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in 2013.

The main goals of the holiday are to pay tribute to the descendants and relatives of the Prophet Mohammad, as well as to raise the spiritual consciousness of Iranians. On the occasion of Imamzadeh Glorification Day, many Iranians make a pilgrimage to the burial places of some of the most venerated imamzadeh. The pilgrimage sites include:

• The Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad containing the mausoleum of Imam Reza, the eighth Imam of the Twelver Shiites.
• The Shrine of Fatima Masumeh in Qom; Fatimah Masumeh was the sister of Imam Reza and the daughter of Musa al-Kadhim, the seventh Shia Imam.
• Imamzadeh Saleh in Tehran, the mosque entombing the remains of Musa al-Kadhim’s son Saleh.
• The Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran that houses the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini and his family.

In many of Iran’s imamzadeh, Imamzadeh Glorification Day is marked with Quran readings and lectures dedicated to Muhammad’s descendants and relatives.