Mashad means the place of martyrdom and is an extremely holy city for Shi'ite Moslems worldwide. It is where the eighth grandson of the prophet Mohammad, Emam Reza, was murdered in 817 and has been a place of pilgrimage ever since. The holy shrine of Emam Reza and the surrounding buildings are one of the marvels of the Islamic world and as might be expected all roads in Mashad lead to the sacred shrine. Most of the buildings in the complex, including the mosques, museums, eivans (halls) are open to non-Muslims, except for the holy shrine itself. Dress in Mashad should be particularly conservative.

Near Mashad lies Tus, the home town and burial place of the 11th century poet Ferdowsi, author of the epic Shahname (book of kings). Neishabur was home to another famous poet Omar Khayyam (12th century) who is probably the best known Iranian poet in the West.