The Tomb of Hafez is in a tranquilizing garden in Shiraz where devotees, admirers and tourists gather together.
During his lifetime, Hafez’s poetry spread to other lands such as India, Arab countries and Turkey where the poets tried to use the features of his poetry to produce their own.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, his poems were translated into European languages and his name spread to the world. It is interesting to know that Goethe; the German poet was inspired by Hafez’s attitudes. Goethe later translated Hafez’s Divan into German.
Hafez-Goethe monument in Weimar, Germany
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Nowadays, this great Persian poet has many fans not only in Iran but from all over the world who pay homage to his tomb every year. The peaceful ambience of the mausoleum where the fragrance of the orange trees spreads everywhere is an exceptional experience that should not be missed in a visit to Shiraz.
Hafez tomb and garden View.
Who was Hafez?
Hafez or Hafiz (Khajeh Shamsuddin Hafez Shirazi) the popular Persian poet was born in Shiraz in the 14th century and passed away 65 years later. It is said that as a teen, Hafez was working in a bakery but later as an adult, his reputation had caused the rulers to interact with him.
A tentative portrait of Hafez Shirazi.
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He never belonged to the Sufi or Dervish groups as the movements of his historical period. This great poet of all ages has his own specific attitude toward life that made him unrivaled. His statements about wine, sin, music and pleasure are metaphorically interpreted as an elaborate code of transcendent symbols. He did not consider any sin heavier than hypocrisy and always attacked the hypocrites and the religious authorities in his poems. Hafez’s school is “Rendy” as the most essential term in his poetry; hence, cognition of Rendy results in the cognition of Hafez’s intellectual and philosophical attitude.
Most scholars believe that Hafez brought Persian lyric poetry to a peak that was never repeated. The scholars believe that the most prominent feature of Hafiz lyric style is the independence and non-connection of the verses: each verse raises a separate issue. Hafez, with his constant changes in imaginative forms and themes, causes us to imagine that the subject of poetry is constantly changing, while this may not be the case.
Hafez Divan, a way to tell fortunes
Hafez poetry collection is a common book in every Iranian’s home. Fortune-telling with Hafez Divan or Fal-e Hafez (which roughly translates to ‘divination via Hafez’), is a common tradition among Iranians. It actually is consulting the poet for questions about the future, as well as guidance in difficult decisions and dilemmas.
Iranians hold a book while divining and utter the following sentence or sentences: “O Hafez Shirazi, you are the revealer of every secret, I want you to tell my fortune.” Then they open the book, read and interpreted the lyric on the right page. If the theme of the poem is positive, the omen is considered good, otherwise, it is considered bad.
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Fal-e Hafez is a way to tell fortunes by Hafez Divan.
The architecture of Hafez Mausoleum
Hafez mausoleum was renovated during the reign of Shah Abbas of the Safavid dynasty and a marble stone was placed on his tomb during the Zand era. Finally, the French architect Andre Godard designed the current mausoleum for Hafez. He had a special interest in Iranian culture and art and spend 32 years of his life in Iran.
Tomb of Hafez during the time.
This complex has an area of 2 hectares and two north and south courtyards, which are separated by a hall. To enter and exit this complex, you can use 4 gates in different parts of it. The main is located on the south side of the complex, and apart from that, there are two doors in the west and one in the northeastern part of the complex.
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Why one should not miss visiting Hafez tomb?
As an important figure in the Persian culture and literature who is widely known in the world, the tomb of Hafez is one of the most important monuments in Shiraz.
Other than the importance of Hafez, the architecture of his tomb and garden has an unparalleled impact on you. It is a pleasant garden with an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that is a romantic place for lovers to meet. In fact, the most beautiful part of your trip to Shiraz is the time that you will spend in this mausoleum. In terms of architecture, each part of this complex is a work of art. You will see people here and there reciting poems. The smell of orange trees, large rectangular ponds, streams, and flowers mesmerize you. It seems that the mausoleum of Hafez, like his poetry, is delicate and sensitive.
Tourists at the Tomb of Hafez.
Hafez tomb architecture Symbolism
Andre Godard, who designed the current monument used the unique features of Persian culture to give more meaning to it:
Hafezieh is located in a busy street from where you cannot see the tomb of Hafez. This symbolizes leaving the material body and traveling to the spiritual world. The designers tried to show that to know Hafez you must get out of the hustle and bustle of the world.
As soon as you enter, there is a beautiful garden, a symbol of the seductive world. The porch after the garden is a symbol of death and entry into the afterlife world. Climbing up the stairs, it is as if your soul is flying towards the sky.
The garden of Hafez mausoleum.
The tomb itself can be considered a symbol of the truth of life or the real sun. This is even why you will not be able to see the tomb of Hafez from outside. The tomb is covered by symbolic colors from inside. Turquoise blue can be considered a symbol of heaven, purple-red as the eternal wine, black and white as night and day, finally, dark brown is the symbol of death.
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The beautiful colors of Hafez tomb ceiling.
It can be imagined that after death and seeing the reality of life, man becomes calm. The northern section of Hafez mausoleum is much simpler in design that brings to mind the tranquility that awaits every human being after death. There are 8 entrance and exit doors, the tomb also has 8 columns. The number 8 probably indicates the year of Hafez’s death, ie the eighth century Hijri, or the eight gates of heaven.