This important shrine complex marks the spot where the remains of the great Persian poet Rudaki (858–941) were found in 1958. The modern complex, built in 2008 to mark the 1150 year anniversary of the 'founder of the Persian language', encompasses a dazzlingly white mausoleum, a library and a bookshop dedicated to the great man.
The surrounding garden is home to a 400-year-old mulberry tree and thousands of rose bushes, each with a strong fragrance – a redolent nod to the fact that Rudaki was thought by some to be blind in later life. He spent all his life in Bukhara but returned in 938 to die in Panjrud, the place of his birth. The shrine has become something of a place of pilgrimage and regardless of any interest in Persian poetry, it's impossible to miss an air of reverence that hangs over the lovingly tended site.
The complex is 17km south of the main A377, half way between Ayni and Penjikent.
