مرکز ارتباطات‌و رسانه

As outlined in paragraph “۴” of the Sevenfold Charter announced by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the decree appointing the custodian of Imam Reza shrine, the organization is introduced as having a huge cultural capacity, which can tremendously affect the public atmosphere of the country and the Islamic world. Families make up more than half of the pilgrims visiting the shrine, and more than ۶۰٪ of the pilgrims are women; therefore, the custodian of the shrine took the initiative to officially launch the Center for Women and Family Affairs in March ۱۹۹۵, on the occasion of Hazrat Zahra’s birth anniversary, in a bid to promote and explain the identity of Muslim women and elevate the institution of family.

 Women’s Role in ‘Khatoun Garden’

Khatoun Garden is the first camping garden majorly focusing on cultural, educational and social innovations. The ۲۵-hectare resort in part of the ۱۱۴-hectare Imam Reza Garden situated in Mashhad, northeast of Iran. The camping site opened in December ۲۰۱۸, and expanded the scope of its activities in ۲۰۲۰. The facility has meeting halls that can accommodate as many as ۴۰ participants and is equipped with audio-visual systems to host official meetings. It also has conference halls that can sit up to ۲۵۰ participants for various gatherings and events. In addition, a ۱۲۰۰-sqm innovative hall is allocated to holding exhibitions and cultural-educational programs. The ۶۰۰-sqm Rezvaneh Hall is a perfect site for children’s entertainment activities. The garden enjoys other facilities such as coffee shops, game cafes, sports fields, children’s playgrounds, etc.

 Enhancing Health of Mothers and Girls

There are over ۲۰ health centers (hospitals and clinics), both in Khorasan Razavi Province and across Iran, affiliated with Imam Reza shrine, making it one of the healthcare hubs in the country and region. The highly equipped Razavi Hospital with ۳۲۰ beds is considered a big achievement in providing healthcare services across the Middle East, even surpassing European health facilities thanks to its vast and diverse services and cutting-edge software and hardware equipment.

The facility provides a wide range of healthcare services on the strength of some ۶۲۳ medical specialists. In addition to ۴۰۶ male doctors, there are some ۲۱۷ female specialists in medical and allied health professions. Moreover, besides the female doctors, there are some ۹۶۵ female personnel in different sections including ۳۵۷ nurses and supervisors.

 Promotion of Hijab Culture

The Center for Women and Family Affairs under Keramat Razavi Foundation embarked on a cultural program dubbed ‘Similar to Sun’ in ۲۰۲۳, which was aimed at promoting the culture of Islamic Hijab. The program will be ongoing until ۲۰۲۴. The main objective of the program is promoting of Hijab culture, enabling Hijab activists, and paving the way for building networks among them. The target group for the program is young girls and women around the shrine, across the city of Mashhad and throughout Iran, who do not take Islamic Hijab very seriously. The first phase was carried out in the vicinity of the shrine, where the spiritual atmosphere was an advantage for the efficiency of the program.

 Hasna – Supporters of Marriage Tradition

In its newest move, the center has embarked on implementing the Hasna program that is aimed at promoting marriage as a tradition of Prophet Muhammad. It is an attempt to elevate family institution and strengthen its bonds drawing upon the capacities of the shrine. Hasna is a network of people helping the center in promoting the tradition of marriage and starting a family. In the first phase of this national program, the volunteers of the shrine helped in mediating among couples via building networks, providing skills and knowledge, etc. The program sought to invest in and train the volunteers in the shrine so that they can act as mediators to facilitate marriage and help decrease the divorce rate.

 ۸,۰۰۰ Female Servants in Shrine

The large number of pilgrims in Imam Reza shrine calls for precise planning and management so that pilgrimage goes on smoothly. Statistically, women and children make up over ۵۰٪ of pilgrims in the shrine, which tend to stay in porticos relatively longer than male pilgrims do. Therefore, providing services to the female pilgrims necessitate more finesse. As a result, some ۸,۰۰۰ female servants, between the ages of ۲۰ to ۵۰, are providing services to pilgrims in women porticos in different shifts.

 Women Volunteers Center

Female and Family Volunteers Center started in Iran in ۲۰۱۶, and has been active in matters related to women and family. The women center simultaneously launched volunteer centers across the country in different provinces, which acted as its executive arms. The volunteer centers are divided into two sections of ‘Razavi Volunteers Center’ and ‘Martyrs Family Center’. Each of them has its own major and minor agendas. Razavi Volunteers Center is mostly concened with family affairs via making discourse, improving skills, paving the way, creating networks and leading active organization with respect to family, as well as providing accessible counseling services.

 Training Muslim Women in Razavi University of Islamic Sciences (RUIS)

In order to create an opportunity for elite women to play an effective role in the field of Islamic humanities, the women section of RUIS started in ۲۰۱۷ under the auspices of Imam Reza shrine in higher education. The facility administered the first admission examination for PhD candidates in three fields of Law and Quranic Sciences, Hadith, Philosophy and Islamic Theology simultaneously in Mashhad and Qom on December ۲۹ and ۳۰, ۲۰۱۷. The first scientific interview was conducted among the ۳۷ candidates who passed the written test, and ۱۴ female candidates were accepted into the doctoral program.

 ۶,۰۰۰ Female Students in Imam Reza Intenational University (IRIU)

A decade into scientific and educational activities, the women section of IRIU has created a suitable scientific, cultural and educational environment compared to other university campuses for women in the country. It is a dynamic and developing facility and has become a leading and central university for nurturing the talents of faithful, expert and revolutionary women in order to respond to the needs of the country. Currently, more than ۶,۰۰۰ female students are studying in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in about ۶۰ fields of study in the facility.

 ‘Daughter of Moon’, National
Coming of Age Ceremony

Holding special religious ceremonies for ۹-year-old girls is one of the key opportunities to increase religious knowledge and education. Different organizations such as the Ministry of Education, the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, and Municipality organize various programs for this group each year. Imam Reza shrine also plays an important role in the implementation of cultural programs and increasing religious insight. It has always run different programs for different walks of life. The national event, ‘Daughter of Moon’, is one of the programs by Center for Women and Family Affairs of Karamat Razavi Foundation to hold religious ceremonies for ۹-year-old girls. It started in ۲۰۱۸ and so far, more than ۸,۰۰۰ girls from all over the country have benefited from this plan.

 ۲۴/۷ Services of ۹ Found Objects Offices

The lost and found office deals with the lost and found objects of pilgrims under the supervision of Deputy Office of Pilgrim Services. Currently, ۹ offices are active in Johuri Eslami, Azadi, Kowsar, Goharshad Mosque Courtyards, and Dar al-Hijah and Hazrat Zahra (PBUH) porticos, Sheikh Toosi and Sheikh Tabarsi, and Bab al-Reza rings. The services of these offices are provided round the clock by ۱۷۰۰ female servants in various shifts. Also, all these offices are connected to each other in a network, and lost pilgrims can register messages for their companions, make phone calls to their relatives and friends, and charge their mobile phones in order to contact their companions. In addition to the aforementioned services, ۵ offices provide special services for mothers and children, including resting and breastfeeding the child, changing clothes and changing the baby’s diapers.

 Flight of Butterflies and Pigeons in Imam Reza shrine

Setting up a special portico for children has been one of the concens Hoj Ahmad Maravi, the cuatodian of the shrine. The children’s portico is located in Bab Al-Kazim and includes ۲ sections for children and minors. The children’s section is for those aged ۵ to ۹ years and the junior section is for children and infants aged ۳ to ۵. The children’s portico has a space for games and entertainment, painting, etc. In the cinema section, the life stories of Prophet Muhammad’s Infallible Household, especially Imam Reza, are recounted for children, and in the game section, religious concepts and righteous behaviors a are taught to children in the form of games. Also, in this section, the shrine of Imam Javad have been recreated using Islamic arts.

 Release of ۲۲۲ Incarcerated Mothers; Charity for Imam Reza

The Center for Women and Family Affairs of the Karamat Razavi Foundation has launched a charity campaign from October ۲۰۲۰ to January ۲۰۲۳, to release ۷۵۳ prisoners of unintentional financial crimes across the country. Out of this number, ۵۳۱ prisoners were fathers and ۲۲۲ were mothers. Over $۵۶ million of this amount has been forgiven via the mediation by volunteers of Imam Reza shrine.

 Elevating Women’s Standing, a
Priority of the shrine

Some ۲,۰۰۰ women from the outskirts of Mashhad are included in this program, which will progress in ۴ phases. In the first phase, mothers who are not motivated at all for eaning income will be focused on. To this end, some motivational programs will be designed for them. The second phase deals with mothers who are not aware of their talents, and therefore, their latent talents need to be identified. The third phase is concened with mothers who started minor jobs but failed to get off the ground. This group receives some counseling services. Nevertheless, the fourth phase involves mothers who are professional entrepreneurs themselves. This group is called upon to help the previous three groups of mothers to expand and develop their own line of work. This national program will be run via women volunteer centers across Iranian provinces, and the results will be put on display in seasonal exhibitions. So far, ۷ rounds of Khatoun exhibitions have been held to showcase the achievements of entrepreneur women.

 Training and Staffing of Female Students

Razavi Cultural Foundation, a subsidiary of Scientific and Cultural Organization of Imam Reza shrine, has been involved in training skillful and productive workforce for the past three decades. Razavi Cultural Foundation has seven educational facilities for girls from preschool to second high school levels, in Mashhad, Chenaran and Sarakhs, in Khorasan Razavi Province. Overall, the facilities provide some ۲۲,۵۰۰ sqm of educational space and all kinds of technological, educational and sports equipment, with ۸۴۰ executive staff, and ۵۳۲ experienced teachers and trainers. Some ۲۵۶۸ female students benefit from the services of these facilities.

 Imam Reza shrine Museum Showcases Medals of Women Athletes

Needless to say, the rise of women athletes to the pinnacles of professional sports and winning world medals has a tremendous impact on the position of Iranian female athletes in Asian and intenational games. Given the vast investments in this regard, it is expected that more Iranian women realize their true athletic potentials. It has become a long-standing tradition for Iranian female champions to donate their world trophies and medals to Imam Reza shrine museum.

 Offices of Vows and Donations for Women in shrine

The Department General of Vows and Donations has been in charge of collecting and managing the public vows and donations under the direct supervision of Imam Reza shrine. The custodian of the shrine is personally involved in supervising the appropriate use of these donations. In ۲۰۱۸, following structural changes, the ‘Center for Development and Supervision of Donations and Endowments’ kick started under the direct supervision of the custodian.

 ۱۹ Active Athletic Fields

One of the women-only infrastructures is the aqua sports complex. The indoor pool for women has two training and championship pools, a dry sauna and a steam sauna, two Jacuzzis, a cold-water pool, a massage room and a gym. Other facilities in the complex include a prayer room, cafeteria and a laboratory to constantly examine the pool water. In addition, women who are interested in tennis, volleyball, basketball, archery, fitness, etc. can participate in the training classes held in ۲ multi-purpose halls in the complex and receive professional training. Given the matchless role of women in protecting the wellbeing of the family, this sports complex has been able to attract some ۱,۰۰۰ women to sports on a monthly basis.

 ۵۰۰ Years of Women’s Endowments to Imam Reza shrine

Endowment is another concept in Imam Reza shrine that has so far attracted large number of women. As documented in endowment deeds, there are over ۸۰ Iranian women listed as donors and benefactors. The history of Iranian women’s donating their properties, either partially or totally, to the shrine goes back to ۹th century AH. The majority of endowments to Imam Reza shrine is immovable property such as lands, buildings, gardens, etc.

‘Women and Family’

in Imam Reza shrine