According to the reports of News Staff for Razavi Birthday Celebration, in the morning of the fifth day of Dahe-ye Karamat Razavi, the traditional ceremony of washing the illuminated Razavi golden dome has been started and will continue for two days.
This report added," in the initial years of the 6th century, the minister of Sultan Sanjar Seljuk repaired the holy shrine and built a dome above the first cupola. This is the same dome which was built 900 years ago.
The dome of the illuminated holy shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) has been designed in extreme beauty and art regarding the height and construction and has two coverings. The first covering is the roof of the shrine which that is visible and enjoys arched mirror decorating called cupola. The second covering is the golden dome and between these two coverings there is thirteen meters hollow space.
The height of the golden dome from the floor of the shrine is 31 meters, the circumference of the dome is 42 meters, and it's height from the beginning of gilding to the top of the dome is a little more than 16 meters.
The view of the dome was yellow bricks at first, then it was exquisite Sanjari tiles and in Shah Tahmasb Safavi era it was gilded.
Then in the Shah Abbas Era (in the years between 1010 to 1016 H.Sh.)The dome was decorated. This illuminated dome has been repaired in 1086 H.Sh. (because of destruction in the earthquake) and in 1291A.Sh. (after the attack of Russian forces to the holy shrine).
After the victory of the Islamic revolution, in 1358 the old golden bricks which were inelegant because of thinness and erosion were removed and the dome was gilded by bricks four times as thicker by electrolyze method.
Washing the illuminated dome is accomplished three times a year by the servants of the holy shrine like Asad allah Zarrinbaf.