Tomb of Avicenna, Legendary Persian Physician of Islamic Golden Age (+Photos)

The tomb of Avicenna is situated in Bu Ali Sina Square in the city of Hamadan, western Iranian province of Hamadan.

He was one of the most celebrated philosophers and physicians in the early Islamic period. He wrote prolifically on a wide range of subjects. Forty of his texts have survived, the most famous of which are the Kitab ash-Shifa (the Book of Healing) and al-Qanun fi al-Tibb - or the Canon of Medicine. The latter is one of the most significant books in the history of medicine; for instance it was printed in Europe at least 60 times between 1516 and 1574. The Canon remained a major authority for medical students in both the Islamic world and Europe until well into the 1700s.

The tomb of Avicenna was built according to the most ancient dated building of the Islamic era in Iran, the “Gonbad-e Qabus”. It is half the size of Gonbad-e Qabus building. While Gonbad-e Qabus has no aperture, this building has 12 pillars indicating the 12 scientific fields mastered by Ibn Sina.

The tomb building is an integration of both traditional and post-Islamic era Iranian architecture. It benefited both from the traditional architecture art and later methods, and contains elements such as the tower (encouraged by the Gonbad-e Qabus tower), the small gardens (influenced by the Iranian gardens), the waterfront (encouraged by the traditional Howz-Khaneh (basements with pools)), and a facing covered with massive and rough rocks adorned with granite stones of Alvand Mountains resembling the traditional Iranian palaces. Bu Ali’s tomb is now situated in the domicile of Abu Said Dakhuk, Bu Ali Sina’s intimate friend who is also buried besides Bu Ali.