Basṭām

Iran

Also known as: Bestam, Bistam, Bostum, Bustam

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Also spelled:: Bustam, Bistam, Bestam, or Bostum

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Basṭām, small historic town, northern Iran. It lies just south of the Elburz Mountains in a well-watered plain. Clustered around the tomb of the poet and mystic Abū Yazīd al-Bisṭāmī (d. 874) are a mausoleum, a 12th-century minaret and mosque wall, a superb portal (1313), and a 15th-century college. Nearby are interesting ruins, including a mosque and a cloister with fine stucco. Most of the town’s old constructions were ordered built by two Mongol rulers, Maḥmūd Ghāzān (1295–1304) and Öljeitü (1304–16). Pop. (latest est.) 6,401.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Noah Tesch.