Quran Gate‌

Iran, Iran

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The Qur’an Gate is the oldest and most famous of the historic city gates of Shiraz in Fars Province, Iran, and it also takes the name “Shiraz Gate” (Darvāzeh‑e Shīrāz) because it marked the main northeastern entrance and exit of the city on the road toward Marvdasht and Isfahan. The gate was originally built during the Buyid (Būyid) dynasty in the 10th century, when Shiraz was a major capital, and was later reconstructed and expanded at different times, notably by Karim Khan Zand in the 18th century, who added an upper chamber where precious handwritten copies of the Qur’an were kept. The name comes from this tradition: a holy book of the Qur’an was placed in the gate, and people passing beneath it—especially travelers—believed they would receive divine protection and blessings for a safe journey. Over the centuries the structure was damaged by earthquakes (especially during the Qajar era) and partly destroyed in 1936 by the city’s mayor, but it was rebuilt in 1949 by the prominent merchant Hossein Igar (Etemād al‑Tejar) in a larger size and redesign, with pointed arches and inscriptions of Qur’anic verses on both faces.