What it means
زیارت (ziyârat) means a pilgrimage, a visit to a holy site, or the act of paying respects at a shrine. It is an Arabic loanword, a verbal noun derived from the root ز-و-ر (z-w-r), the same root that gives Persian زائر (zâer, pilgrim). In practice, ziyârat describes both the physical journey to a sacred place and the ritual of prayer and presence once there. The word applies to visits to Imam shrines, Imamzadeh tombs, Mecca, Karbala, and Najaf. You will sometimes see رفتن به زیارت (raftan be ziyârat), “going on pilgrimage,” as a fixed phrase.
How to use it
- امام رضا رفتیم زیارت. (Emâm Rezâ raftim ziyârat.) “We went on pilgrimage to Imam Reza’s shrine.”
- زیارت کربلا یکی از آرزوهای اون بود. (Ziyârat-e Karbalâ yeki az ârezuhâ-ye on bud.) “Visiting the shrines of Karbala was one of his wishes.”
- بعد از زیارت یه احساس آرامش داشتم. (Ba’d az ziyârat ye ehsâs-e ârâmesh dâshtam.) “After the pilgrimage I felt a sense of calm.”
- اون سال به زیارت خونه خدا مشرف شد. (On sâl be ziyârat-e khune-ye khodâ mosharraf shod.) “That year he was honored with a pilgrimage to the House of God, Mecca.”
Cultural note
Ziyârat occupies a central place in Iranian religious life and is not considered a rare or elite act. Many Iranian families plan at least one ziyârat journey per year, particularly to Mashhad or to the shrines in Karbala and Najaf in Iraq. The concept extends beyond grand Hajj pilgrimages to include smaller local shrine visits, which are part of everyday Shia practice. Ziyârat also carries a literary dimension: classical Persian poetry frequently uses it as a metaphor for the longing to be near the beloved.