HIMA RAD

Sanandaj - Sartapoleh is one of the old neighborhoods of Sanandaj. There are many historical buildings in the neighborhood such as the shrine of Hajar Khatoon Khatun [sister of eighth Shia Imam]. A large part of the shrine has fallen apart while a part of the shrine has been renovated and turned into apartments.  Most of the old people living in Sartapoleh are sick and the younger ones have moved to other areas of Sanandaj.

The shrine of Hajar Khatoon is located at the entrance of Sartapoleh. After the death of Hajar Khatoon, sister of Imam Reza, a shrine was built to commemorate her memory. But when she went to Sanandaj and where she was buried is still unknown because there is a long time between Imam Reza's life and the construction of the city of Sanandaj. The Sartapoleh neighborhood is famous for the shrine of Hajar Khatoon.

The alleys of Hajar Khatoon have an old texture and remind of the life of people who used to live and socialize in the city, a time when the people of the neighborhood lived like a big family. When you see the alleys, you feel like you know them for years. If you had lived in this neighborhood at the time when the shrine was built, you would feel a little depressed because most of the walls of the shrine have already fallen apart.

I hardly found a few people who have been living in this neighborhood for many years, maybe less than ten people. I spoke to them and asked questions about how many people live in the neighborhood and why there are a few people living in the neighborhood; however, they did not show any interest to talk about their past.

According to the local people and residents, Sartapoleh is famous for the shrine Hajar Khatoon and the Arab bazaar (fabric stores) , and the neighborhood is also known as Hajar Khatoon and the shrine is now a tourist destination, many people from different cities come to visit the shrine every day.

According to one of the old women of the neighborhood, the shrine is a place where pilgrims from all over the country come to visit.

Many old houses in the neighborhood have been renovated or turned into apartments, and some others have been destroyed and fallen apart.

Mastore B. is one of the women living in the neighborhood. She is sick and lives in a multi-story house with her children. She doesn't remember much from the past since she has suffered from Alzheimer's.

Many people of the neighborhood are old and they have lived in the neighborhood for years. They all say that Hajar Khatoon was the sister of Imam Reza and they came to the city. She got sick and died in the city and a shrine was built in the neighborhood for her.