Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Ahmad Marvi as new custodian of Astan Quds Razavi on March 30. The wealthy endowment manages the shrine of Imam Reza in the holy city of Mashhad. Marvi will replace conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi, who ran for president in 2017. Raisi was named as the new head of the judiciary last month.

The shrine in Mashhad is a sacred place for Shiite Muslims, attracting millions of visitors from both inside and outside the country every year. Over the centuries, many believers have donated land and their inheritances to the endowment that manages the shrine, a practice that continues to this very day. As such, Astan Quds Razavi is affluent.

After the 1979 revolution, moderate Ayatollah Abbas Vaez Tabasi was appointed as the custodian of the shrine, a post he held until his death in 2016. Of note, Vaez Tabasi indicated backing for moderate President Hassan Rouhani in the 2013 presidential election. Under his custodianship, the shrine complex was expanded, and the endowment’s spectrum of activities broadened, extending to establishing enterprises. Astan Quds Razavi now owns a large number of major companies. In this vein, the media have criticized the endowment for reportedly not paying taxes, given the exemptions granted to religious endowments.

Since 1979, the shrine's custodianship has become a highly important and influential position in the Islamic Republic. In fact, it is now one of the most senior positions in the country, partly due to its spiritual nature, and also because of the endowment's wealth. This influence has led some observers to view the custodians as potential successors of Ayatollah Khamenei.