TEHRAN—Head of Shahroud Cultural Heritage Department Mohammad-Sadeq Razavian gave news of reopening of Historical and Cultural Complex of Sheikh Abolhassan Kharghani in Shahroud, Semnan province.

According to Miras Arya (CHTN), he also said that with completion of the tomb's foundation reinforcement, brick flooring, structural reinforcement, patching cracks, grouting, painting the walls, and additional measures in the area, the Kharaghan Historical and Cultural Complex is now ready for visitors and tourists. 

He explained that the restoration operations were implemented in several phases in recent months to improve the safety of the structure and preserve the historical values of the tomb.

Currently, after completion of the restoration works, the conditions are ripe for resuming exploitation of the complex, he added. 

He said the tomb of Sheikh Abolhassan is located 24 km north of Shahroud, adding due to scientific and spiritual status of this remarkable personality, it has drawn many researchers, pilgrims and lovers of Islamic mysticism. 

Razavian explained that Sheikh Abolhassan Kharghani has been one of the great mystics of the fourth and fifth centuries of the Islamic calendar.  

Valuable works such as Favateh al-Jamal, Risalat al-Khaif al-Ha'im, and Nur al-Ulum have been left behind by him, he added.

He emphasized that Sheikh Abolhassan Kharghani Complex has facilities such as library, residential suites, recreational space and proper tourism infrastructure. 

Nationally registered under the number 645, it is considered one of important spiritual and cultural destinations of Semnan province, he added. 

He expressed the hope that with reopening of the complex, the grounds are prepared for drawing tourists, improving spiritual tourism and boosting local economy.

The history has shown that Sheikh Abu Saeed Abu al-Khair, the famous mystic, and Abu Ali Sina, the famous philosopher, and Nasser Khosrow Ghobadiani were Iranian poets and thinkers who lived at the same time with Kharghani.  Also, Khajeh Abdullah Ansari was one of the Sheikh's distinguished students. Bayazid Bastami, one of the prominent mystics of Iran, had announced his birth more than one hundred years before Kharghani’s birth; It is narrated that Sheikh Bayazid visited the village once a year, where the graves of the martyrs were located. As he was passing by Kharqan, he was standing and breathing, and his followers asked him, "Sheikh, we do not hear anything."  He said: Yes, I can smell a man from this region; A man whose name is Ali and whose nickname is Abu al-Hassan, he will be far ahead of me. Rumi, the great mystic of the seventh century AH, has arranged the story of the spiritual connection between Bayazid Bastami and Sheikh Abolhassan Kharghani and his famous prophecy after one hundred and seventeen years in the fourth book of his Masnavi book, entitled Revelation of the Heart.

It is said that Sheikh Abolhassan Kharghani had written on the entrance of his Khanghah: "Whoever enters this house, give him bread and do not ask about his faith.  For whoever is worthy of a Soul granted by the Almighty, is certainly worthy of Bol-Hassan’s bread. This beautiful and eloquent sentence is also engraved on the facade of his tomb today.

The complex is like an Iranian garden with a blue water flowing through it and it is a pleasant place for travelers to explore.
Other attractions near this tomb include Bayazid Bastami Mosque, Bastam Mosque, Cloud Forest, Mojen Waterfall and Tuskistan Road. 

KD