Chehel Dokhtaran Shrine of Kashan

The Chehel Dokhtaran Shrine in Kashan is a memorial building for forty virgin girls who escaped the Mongols and collectively committed suicide here to preserve their chastity, so the attackers could not violate them. It is said that during the Mongol era, after the fall of Kashan and its capture by the Mongols, they demanded heavy tribute and taxes from the people. When the people could not pay, the Mongols took forty beautiful virgin girls as spoils. The girls escaped the Mongols and collectively killed themselves here out of shame and disgrace to prevent the attackers from violating them. The people of Kashan built graves here as a memorial, which existed until modern times, and about 30 years ago, they covered them with brick flooring. The name of this building as Chehel Dokhtaran Shrine is based on this story. This building is registered as a national heritage site under number 758 on 8/7/1346 (Iranian calendar). Every year, many tourists visit this place for sightseeing and pilgrimage.