Avicenna

he mausoleum of Ibn Sina (Avicenna), hamedan, was built in 1952 above the tomb of one of Iran`s greatest philosophers and scholars, known to the West as Avicenna.

Born near Bokhara about the year A.D. 980, he lived a full and dangerous life, serving a variety of rival princes as a physician and vazier, dying at the age of 57 in Hamedan.
His Canon, the first systematic work of medical science, was taught in European universities until the eighteenth century, and his contribitions to philosophy, logic, mathematics, optics and pharmaceutics make him one of the most prolific and original minds of all times.

Modern Hamedan is presumed to be built on the site of Ecbatana, a Median capital, the capture of which in 550 BC by Cyrus the Great marks the foundation of the Persian Empire. The mausoleum of Avicenna is built in the style of the Gunbad-i-Qabus, a famous eleventh century funerary tower in north-east Iran.
The mausoleum of Avicenna is an imitation of the oldest historic buiding of the Islamic period namely the Ghabus Gonbad which is also contemporary to Avicenna major differnces between these two building however are only two namely the size of the mausoleum of Avicenna which is half in size compared to that of Ghabus Gonbad and this is mainly because of the restricted space allocated to this purpose and the other differnce lies in the gap between the buttresses in Avicenna mausoleum whereas in the Ghabus Gonbad building there is no access to outside or inside the tower except for the entrance and a small hole in the bottom of the dome. This mausoleum has been constructed on twelve tall cement foundations.

The grave of Sheikhol Raeis Avicenna has been placed in the center of the 12 foundations of the tower and next to him is the grave of Sheik Abu Saeid Dakhdook who was Avicenna`s friend and host. Both graves have been covered with a flat marble stone with an inscription in nine lines.

The inscription suggests 428 A.H. as the date when it was written. The Avicenna museum, which is situated inside the complex, includes ancient objects, anthropology section and books written by Avicenna. The museum is open to public and embraces such objects as bronze statues belonging to the first millenium B.C., coins, containers, marbles and silver objects belonging to the Sasanids era, books, superb carpets, etc.