Tomb of Sheikh Zahed Gilani

On a low hill among the tea gardens east of Lahijan stands the tomb of Sheikh Taj al-Din Ibrahim, known as Sheikh Zahed Gilani, a Sufi master who died in 1301. He was the teacher of Sheikh Safi al-Din of Ardabil, whose Sufi order would, two centuries later, carry his descendants to the throne as the Safavid dynasty. Sheikh Safi also married Sheikh Zahed's daughter, which tied the two families closely together.

The tomb is best known for its roof. Instead of a round dome, the square brick chamber is crowned by a tall, stepped, pyramidal roof in eight tiers, faced with glazed tiles in turquoise and blue, a form found in shrines along the wet Caspian coast. The building is usually dated to the late fifteenth century, on the eve of the Safavid era, and it has been restored several times since. Inside, the sheikh's grave is marked by a cenotaph, and the woodwork of the doors is finely carved.

The shrine remains a place of visits and prayer for local people, and its setting is part of its charm. From the hill there are views over the green slopes of Lahijan, the centre of Iran's tea growing, towards the Caspian plain. In the soft light of a misty morning, the blue roof rising above the trees is one of the loveliest sights in Gilan. The shrine is a reminder, too, that the Safavid dynasty, which made Shia Islam the faith of the Iranian state in 1501, had its roots in a Sufi brotherhood that grew up on these Caspian coasts.