The Sheikhan Cemetery is one of the oldest in Qom and one of the most historically significant in the Shia world — it contains the graves of hundreds of scholars, theologians, and clerics who lived and taught in the city over more than a thousand years. The cemetery lies close to the Fatimah al-Masumah Shrine complex and is active; fresh graves coexist with those from the medieval period.
The inscriptions on the older tombs trace the history of Shia scholarship; the newer sections reflect how many clerics still choose Qom as their final resting place. A quiet and sobering counterpoint to the crowds at the shrine.