Phenomenological Study of Steel Window of Mashhad al-Riḍā (as)

The pilgrimage city of Holy Mashhad, which has been called the religious and cultural capital of Iran, in addition to the shrine of Imam Riḍā (as) contains surrounding symbols that play a role in the general culture of the people. Religious symbols, while representing the culture of the people, have a great impact on the representation and continuity of culture. Therefore, the study of symbols, especially religious symbols, is of particular importance from the perspective of cultural studies. One of the most important and famous symbols around the Razavi shrine is the "steel window". By adopting a phenomenological approach and employing the concept of "sacred place" by Mircea Eliade, the author has used the techniques of "interview", "observation", "participation" and "examination of documents" to discover the mental meanings of pilgrims living around the steel window. The analysis of the findings of the field study with the method of "content analysis" shows that the steel window with the comprehensive theme of "holy and sublime place", in the Iranian mentality is considered as the confluence of heaven and earth, a part of the great structure of Shiite holy places, a stronghold, invigorating, healing, hopeful, heartwarming, transformative, stimulating chivalry and the Shrine of Imam Riḍā (as).