Zahir-od-Dowleh Cemetery in Tehran is located between Imamzadeh Ghasem and Tajrish on the north side of Tehran, where celebrities and politicians have been buried. Zahir-od-Dowleh was born in 1902 in Shiraz and his father was Nasir al-Din Shah’s political adviser. Later he married Shah’s daughter and founded the first National theater and Orchestra in Iran. He formed a community of 110 members in 1938 to fight against despotism and dictatorship. Later on, he was named Safa Ali Shah and became famous due to his activities in the community. Then, he dedicated his house to the community and after he passed away, he was buried in this place. Since he had many famous friends who were poets, writers, and scholars, they also ordered to be buried in this place. And that was how Zahir-od-Dowleh Cemetery came to exist. Mohammad-Taqi Bahar (a renowned Iranian poet and scholar), Rahi Mo'ayyeri (Iranian poet and musician), Iraj Mirza (a famous Iranian poet), Hossein Yahaghi (a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist), Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri (a celebrated Iranian singer and the first woman of her time to sing in public) are just some of Iranian celebrities who have been buried in Zahir-od-Dowleh Cemetery.
