The city of Mashad is located in the far North East of Iran. It is a highly sacred city for followers of Islam, as it is the home of the tomb of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam (a spiritual and political successor of prophet Muhammad). The city is also the birthplace of many celebrated Persian poets, including Ferdowsi, who wrote the national epic ‘Shahnameh’ meaning ‘The Book of Kings’.