Historical and Cultural Background of Pilgrimage in Iran

Visiting sacred places attributed to great men is one of the original cultural traditions of Iranians, which has maintained its importance and value since ancient times. These places are scattered all over Iran enjoying a wide variety of ethnic, geographical, and religious features. In fact, there are rarely any cities, towns, or villages where there are no sacred places for pilgrims. Given the diversity of holy places, they can be generally divided into different groups: graves of the Prophet’s descendants, religious scholars, or Sheikhs; footholds, and blessed sites. Relying on field studies and library resources, the present paper provides a historical account of the development of the tradition of visiting the above places as pilgrims in Iran and the effects of pilgrimage on Iranian culture.