Amol is a historical city with an antiquity of three thousand years, which was the center of the Amard tribe centuries ago. Later, the Parthians ruled there, and after the Arab Muslim invasion of Iran, it became the center of the Alavi government. This city, along with natural attractions such as forests, mountains, and rivers, also has historical monuments such as Hashtal Tower, Atashkadeh, Chaharsuq Bazaar, and Mir Bozorg Shrine.
Mir Bozorg Shrine is the tomb of Mir Gholamuddin Mar'ashi, located in the old neighborhood of Kardgar, near Sabze Meydan in Amol. He was a descendant of Ali ibn Hussein and lived in Khorasan for a while. He returned to Amol under the influence of the uprising of the time and created a movement similar to it in Amol, which became known as the Mar'ashi Alavi dynasty. Finally, in 1398 AH, he passed away and was buried in the same place. His shrine was initially a four-roomed chamber which was destroyed in the years 805-795 during the rule of Eskandar Sheikhi Chalāyi, one of the governors of Amir Timur, while some years later rebuilt with the help of people.
Due to their interest in Alavis, the Safavids restored and renovated this building. By the order of Shah Abbas I Safavid, a larger building with picturesque decorations including tilework and stucco was built. Only a few of these tileworks and decorations remain, however most of which have been destroyed due to the neglect of the people and officials. The only intact tileworks decorated with Quranic verses are located on the back wall near the dome. The rest of the tileworks are broken and scattered.
The entrance to the building is located on the south side, above which there is an inscription with the following text: "... Alhamdulillah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the greatest, and there is no power or strength except with Allah..." Additionally, above this inscription, the name "Mohammad" is carved, and the phrase "Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim" is written on the wall.
Entirely made of brick, the building consists of two floors. The first one has a main space containing the tomb of Mir Gholamuddin and three rooms surrounding the shrine. The second floor consists of two rooms, a balcony, and a staircase leading to the roof. The Mir Bozorg grave is covered with an astonishing wooden box with wooden Gerehs. This box replaced an older one that was destroyed by fire years ago, of which only an old frame with the date 1032 remains.
The dome of this shrine is also newly constructed. The old dome collapsed, and many years later architects replaced it with a double-layered dome. The current dome is 90 square meters and is octagonal from the inside of the building. After the revolution, this building was under the management of Amol Heritage, and later it was turned into a martyrs' museum. The first floor of this building, all walls, and all three rooms are decorated with pictures of martyrs. Letters, books, and clothing of the martyrs are other exhibits of this museum, which is a kind of souvenir of eight years of the Sacred Defense.
Mir Bozorg Shrine in Amol was registered as a national monument on January 5, 1932.