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This image essay incorporates three of Iran's greatest Sufi shrines, the Safavid Shrine of Sheikh Safi al-Din (Ardebil), the fifteenth-century Shrine of Shah Nematollah Vali (Mahan), and the Shrine of Sheikh Abdol Samad, which is attached to the Jami Mosque in Natanz (14th Century). Ardebil was originally the Khanaqah (Sufi brotherhood centre) of the Holy Man from whom the Safavid dynasty descended. The Safavids, who converted Iran to Shi'ism, patronised many shrines. Ardebil is also the family mausoleum and once contained Shah Abbas' priceless china collection and a famous carpet which is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Although Mahan and Natanz were founded before the Safavid dynasty came to power, they also were restored and added to by this dynasty. (Photographs: Christopher Wood)