A GLANCE OVER HOLY SHRINE'S BACKGROUND
Mashhad is an Arabic word; this word means rendezvous, place of pilgrimage, picturesque place and so forth in dictionaries. But the general people have considered it as a place of martyrdom. This city that is the last residence of eighth Imam of the Shiites, Before burring His body, was a pleasant village with a temperate weather that has been called "Sanabad" at a distance about 24 kilometers to Tous; the state center of Khorasan. Hamid-ebn-e Ghahtabeye Taei had been nominated for Khorasan's Emirate in the period of Mansour and Mehdi-e-Abbassi. He established a glorious foundation and pleasant garden to organize a place for the residence and repose of Bani-Abbas' caliphs that traveled from Baqdad to Khorasan. Burring on the blessed body of Imam (AS) in the year 203 Anno Hejira in Meshed caused to develop the city increasingly and Sanabd village become a large city and after a while called "Mashhado'Reza (AS) that at that time the major centre (current Mashhad) was formed. Now, Meshed with the area about 27478 square kilometers located in northeast of Razavi Khorasan province. The population of this city due to its excellent situation in pilgrimage, touring, commercial, agricultural and emigration power is being developing. The resident (fixed) population in Mashhad as well as its suburb is more than 2300000 people and the number of tourists, passengers and pilgrims is about 1500000 per annum. 

 The History of the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.)