Hadratī Square of Mashhad; Appearance and Expansion

The city of Mashhad is among the first cities in which passageways by the name of khiyābān (i.e. avenue) (Bālākhiyābān and Pāyīnkhiyābān) have been established. The urban managers of Mshhad and Astan Quds Razavi constructed a square around the premises of the Holy Shrine in 1308 sh/1929 in order to facilitate the traffic around there and to connect the main avenues of Bālākhiyābān and Pāyīnkhiyābān (lit. the upper and lower avenues); and for connecting the four sides of Mashhad, they established two other avenues called Tehrān and Ṭabarsī and added them to the square.After building the first square, the greatest difficulty that was the lack of connection between the Bālākhiyābān and Pāyīnkhiyābān was resolved; however, the increasing growth of population and the number of pilgrims in Mashhad prompted the expansion and widening of the first square in 1354 sh/1975. Eventually, the works carried out after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, including the establishment of the underpass, facilitated the traffic for the drivers and the traverse for the pedestrians and, on the other hand, expanded the area of the premises of the Holy Shrine and provided relative welfare for the pilgrims.