The Holy Shrine of Shāhcherāq: A Centre for Revival of Fars Arts

The holy shrines of Shiraz, especially Shāhcherāq (the holy shrine of Ahmad, the son of Imam Musā), have historically played a role in manifesting the works of Persian artists as well as strengthening and revival of native crafts and traditional arts. During the years 1280-1350 AS, when the related arts to the Iranian architecture were losing their past glory, Shāhcherāq shrine role played as a refuge and centre for gathering the masters of these crafts. In that period, a number of noticeable works were created and the holy shrine of Shāhcherāq rescued the Persian traditional arts and supported their native artisans. During the last decade, following acceleration in physical development of the holy shrine, a quantitative and economic approach was taken to the holy shrine collection, so that the authorities of holy shrine have deeply changed their position confronting with traditional arts and native artists. This article tries to consider the construction and restoration process of Shāhcherāq holy shrine and the manifestation of native crafts in this collection. It is also aimed at introducing the artists contributed to it.