The Tomb of Shams

TTCulture Desk, "MP criticizes Tabriz City Council’s claim over Shams tomb" - Tehran Times - Tehran, Iran
July 27, 2008

Khoy Member of Parliament Mo’ayyed Hosseini-Sadr was enraged by the recent claim by the Tabriz City Council, declaring Shams is buried in Tabriz and not in Khoy.

All the historical documents in the world prove that the tomb of Shams-e Tabrizi is in Khoy, Western Azerbaijan, Hosseini-Sadr said, adding, “Shams-e Tabrizi originally comes from Tabriz but this does not mean that he is buried in Tabriz.”

This erroneous claim by the Tabriz City Council inflicts substantial damage to Iranian cultural figures, he said.

“I advise members of the Tabriz City Council to cease their erroneous claim, and if they possess any documents which support their statements, they should hand them over to the relevant organizations for further studies,” he continued.

He also referred to a previous declaration by Turkey claiming that Shams is buried in their country and remarked, “This sort of news provokes false beliefs in other countries and could lead to several more false claims in the future.”

“I hereby propose that the Tabriz City Council members make diligent efforts to introduce Shams as an Iranian cultural figure rather than spreading false reports,” Hosseini-Sadr concluded.

Born in the city of Tabriz, Shams lived together with Rumi in Konya for several years.

Shams has been immortalized in Rumi’s collection of poetry named the “Divan of Shams ad-Din of Tabriz”.

Rumi’s love for him and his bereavement at his death found expression in an outpouring of music, dance, and lyrical poetry.

The tomb of Shams is located in Khoy and is in the form of a 12-meter [39-feet] high cylindrical tower. The monument was erected by Shah Esmaeil in the Safavid era.