How did the shrine complex function like a town within Mashhad before the 1970s?

Prior to the mid-1970s, the shrine complex of ‘Alī al-Riḍā in Mashhad functioned as a self-contained "town within a city," serving as the primary center of municipal life rather than the traditional bazaar found in other Iranian cities.1

This complex, known as the ḥaram (holy site), operated as a distinct urban entity through the integration of various essential facilities and religious institutions, including:

• Religious and Educational Infrastructure: The complex housed mosques, courtyards, and seminaries.1
• Commercial and Hospitality Services: It contained its own bazaars, workshops, and caravanserai (inns) to support the needs of pilgrims.1
• Sanctuary: It provided designated areas for bast, the practice of taking sanctuary.1

The shrine’s influence was so pervasive that it held extensive landholdings, with more than three-fourths of the available land in the city belonging to the shrine prior to the urban renewal projects launched in the 1970s. This concentration of assets allowed the complex to function as a highly profitable and economically central institution within the region.12