Imam Al-Mahdi’s Identification

The Shi’a believe that Imam al-Mahdi is the only son of Imam Hasan al-Askari (the 11th Imam) who was born on the 15th of Sha’ban 255/869 in Samarra, Iraq. He became the divinely appointed Imam when his father was martyred in 260/874. Imam al-Mahdi went into occultation (disappearance; leaving among people while he is not identified) at the same time. He will re-appear when Allah wills. More specifically:

• His title is “al-Mahdi”which means “The Guided One.”

• His name is Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan (as).

• His lineage, traced back to Imam ‘Ali (as), is: Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Musa Ibn Ja’far Ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali Ibn al-Husayn Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (as).

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Shandiz, Mashhad

37 Kilometers southeast of Mashhad contains the countryside and tourist city of Shandiz. It has a moderate weather and concerning the green nature, vegetation, thick and dense trees, the river, and southern and western altitudes, it is cool in summer and very cold in winter. The average annual temperature of it is 25 degrees Celsius.

The most important garden product of this city is cherries. Significant souvenirs of the city are handicrafts, especially sheepskin clothes. The well-known food of the city is called Shishlik which is made of six pieces of lamb prepared in a very special method and it is world famous. There are restaurant all over Iran and the world bearing the name of this beautiful city catering the delicious Shishlik of Shandiz.

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“All economic activities related to… tourism will enjoy 100 percent tax holidays between five to 13 years depending on the region,” AFP quoted Iran’s Deputy Economy Minister Mohammad Khazaei as saying at an international tourism summit in Tehran.

Visitor numbers have already boomed in recent years, rising from 2.2 million annually in 2009 to 5.2 million in 2015, AFP added.

Iran has an ambitious target to increase annual visitor count by five folds to 20 million by 2025 in order to generate $30 billion a year. On the same front, the media reported last December that the country is constructing 125 new four- and five-star hotels.

This has already encouraged international hoteliers to devise plans to invest in Iran’s hotel industry. Hotel groups in the Persian Gulf Arab states are specifically believed to have already taken measures to boost their portfolios in Iran.

Hotel groups from Germany, Greece, South Korea and Singapore have also engaged in talks with officials in Tehran over hotel construction plans.

Europe’s largest hotel group Accor has also constructed two four-star hotels at Imam Khomeini International Airport outside the Iranian capital.

The UAE-based Rotana plans to open its five-star 600-room hotel in Tehran this year and another in the pilgrimage city of Mashhad.

Also, officials in Ankara announced in May that the country’s investors will be allowed to build at least 10 hotels in Iran. The hotels would be built in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz and Mashhad.

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