Naqsh-e hajar: Copy of the Endowment Deed of the Shahcherāq Mausoleum

Naqsh-e hajar is the most important existing document left of the Deed of Endowment of the Shahcheraq Mausoleum. The document was issued in the month of Ramadan 947 H./ January 1541 by Amir Mohebb al-Din Mirza Habibollah b. Mortaza Sharifi, the great grandfather of the house of Sharifi Hosseini, its original version having been once carved on a stone and set on the northern entrance of the Shahcheraq tomb. The Endowment Deed provides useful information regarding the endowments of the Shrine. Besides, it presents noteworthy notes about the architectural developments of this religious building from the Safavid time. This Endowment document has been used as a point of reference up until the contemporary era in disputations respecting the endowment issues and the custodianship of the Shahcheraq Mausoleum. The stone bearing the Endowment Deed has perished but copies of the document are available. These very copies form the basis of the redaction and presentation of the amended text of the Endowment Deed set forth in the present article. Further, by making use of certain evidences and credible sources, the contents of the Endowment Deed are examined, and the features of the official listings and records related to the document are revealed as much as possible.