Our first place of visit in Mashad was its grand Haram-e-Razavi Haram in short shrine, which was a beautiful complex of dazzling gold domes and courtyards full of pilgrims who were here to pay their respect to their holy leader, Imam Reza. When we first arrived at the main entrance of the Haram, the guard called for a guide to escort us in. This guide service is completely free and our guide spoke fluent English.
We stopped by the Foreign Pilgrims Association Office where they played a 10 minutes long video about the Haram and gave us each a bag of souvenirs which consisted of a brochure and a stack of picturesque postcards of Mashad. Also, strictly no cameras or bags allowed inside the Haram. But strangely, camera phones were allowed. Their body checks were very thorough and we even had to empty out all of our pockets!
All women also had to wear a chardoh when entering the Haram. I borrowed mine from the guesthouse that we stayed at. Sadly, non-muslims were only allowed in the outer courtyards. I had no idea how to wear a chador and these helpful ladies kindly assisted me with it! We went again during the night as the entire place will be lit up and it would be a different experience for us. We were denied entry at first as perhaps the guides have gone home already and it was supposedly impossible to explore the Haram without a guide.
We were delighted and as we wandered through the dwindling crowd, our guide suddenly led us into one of the holy buildings!
Non-muslims were not allowed entry usually and hence it was such a privilege for us to be able to enter. Who knows, you might be lucky like us and get to be one of the privileged few to enter the golden dome! We were so amazed by the dazzling interior and its grandiosity! There were also a lot of pilgrims praying and meditating inside and the atmosphere was so intense. The people were so amicable and we received so many greetings and smiles as we walked down the streets.
