The Historical Bath of Mahdi Gholi Beig-Ethnography Museum (Razavi Khorasan)

The Historical Bath of Mahdi Gholi Beig is one of the largest bathes in Iran located in Mashhad city. The antiquity of this building backs to Safavid era. The bath is placed next to the mausoleum of Ghiyas ud din Malekshah (one of the Timurid famous rulers) or the Shah Mosque that is now called Hafad o Do Tan (Seventy-two Persons) Mosque. The original name of this bath was “the bath of Mahdi Gholi Beig” which was renamed to Shah Bath because of its juxtaposition to the mausoleum of Amir Malekshah and later after the Islamic Revolution it was called Razavi Bath. It is located near Imam Reza Holy Shrine, at the beginning of the old bazaar of Mashhad in carpet Raasteh.

According to deed of endowment, this building was built in the period of Shah Abbas II, in 997 AH, by the order of Mahdi Gholi Beig, one of the survivors of Amir Arghavan Oyrat family (from the first rulers of Eastern Iran and Khorasan during the reign of Mughals) who was appointed as Mir-e Akhor (the lord of King’s stable). The construction material used in this building are Saroj, lime, metal, stone, glass and tile, however, the frame of building was made of the brick. It includes seven main parts among which the prettiest is Sarbineh or changing room decorated in painting and colorful tiles. Other parts of the bath are alcove, Hashti or vestibule, Sudatorium, fireplace and the pool. This historical bath was publicly used many years, gradually from 1369 SH it begins to be abandoned until 1376 SH when it was inscribed on the list of national heritages of Iran.

Cultural heritage, handicrafts and Tourism Organization reconstructed the monument in collaboration with Astan Quds Razavi in order it to be opened as the specific Ethnography Museum of Mashhad in 1385 SH, on the occasion of Imam Reza birthday. The required objects in old bathes, various charcoal samovars, cresset and kinds of vessels are kept here along with a photography exhibition on the subject of ethnography that is open in part of the museum.