BASTAM

also spelled Bustam, Bistam, Bestam, or Bostum small historic town, northern Iran. It lies just south of the Elburz Mountains in a well-watered plain. Clustered around the tomb of the poet and mystic Abu Yazid al-Bistami (d. 874) are a mausoleum, a 12th-century minaret and mosque wall, a superb portal (1313), and a 15th-century college. Nearby are interesting ruins, including a mosque and a cloister with fine stucco. Most of the town's old constructions were ordered built by two Mongol rulers, Hahmud Ghazan (1295-1304) and ljeit (1304-16). Pop. (1986) 6,401.