Several Locations, Palestine, Jordan & Syria The Umayyads were well known as prolific builders, especially in and around their capital city of Damascus. Taking advantage of the construction expertise of local Byzantine architects and masons, the Umayyads dotted the region with dozens of palaces and castles. While few of these early medieval structures are still standing, … [Read more...]
RUINS OF THE WHITE MOSQUE
Ramla, Palestine The White Mosque of Ramla was once considered to be one of the wonders of Islam. Originally completed during the same era as the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, it was one of the three great pilgrimage mosques built by the Umayyad’s in the Holy Land. Unfortunately, time, geography, war and the elements have not been kind to the White Mosque, and all that … [Read more...]
UMAYYAD MOSQUE (MASJID UMAYYAD)
Damascus, Syria Damascus was the first truly great metropolis of the Muslim world, the pilgrimage cities of Mecca and Medina notwithstanding, and it is the only place from which the entire Islamic Empire was ever ruled. During its century as the Umayyad capital, Damascus was one of the largest and most magnificent cities in the world. As wealth from Muslim conquests poured … [Read more...]
AL-HUSSAYN MOSQUE (MASJID AL-HUSSAYN)
Cairo, Egypt Hussayn, the son of Ali and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, spent most of his life in Arabia and Mesopotamia. There are no records of him ever having been in Egypt, and his tomb at Najaf has been recognized by most Shi’ites as his final resting place for well over a thousand years. Despite all geographic and historical evidence to the contrary, local … [Read more...]
HAZRAT ALI MOSQUE (MASJID HAZRAT ALI)
Mazar E Sharif, Afghanistan In the Islamic tradition, even in the early years, the tombs of prominent Muslims were generally well known and easily located. The greatest exception to this rule is that of the burial site of Ali, the 4th Caliph and 1st Imam, who is believed to be buried in a number of different places. The most generally accepted location of his tomb is in the … [Read more...]
TOMB OF FATIMAH AL-MASUMEH
Qom, Iran Like the Masjid Imam Ridha in Mashhad, the Shrine of Fatimah Al-Masumeh in Qom is revered as one of the two most important Shi’ite cities inside Iran, and the two are closely related in more ways then one. The shrine is home to the Tomb of Fatimah, the daughter of Musa the 7th Imam and the sister of Ali the 8th Imam who is buried in Mashhad. She was therefore also … [Read more...]
AL-ASKARI MOSQUE (MASJID AL-ASKARI)
Samarra, Iraq The city of Samarra in Iraq is the chronologically last of the half-dozen cities including Najaf, Karbala, Medina, Baghdad, and Mashhad which is home to the burial sites of one or more of the Twelve Imams, in this case Ali ibn Muhammad (the 10th) and Hasan ibn Ali (the 11th). Samarra is also closely associated with Muhammad ibn Hasan, the Lost (12th) Imam, who … [Read more...]
IMAM RIDHA MOSQUE (MASJID IMAM RIDHA)
Mashhad, Iran Considering that Iran is the predominant Shi’ite nation of the Islamic world, it is ironic that most of their holiest shrines lie within the borders of other nations, particularly those which have been hostile towards Iran and the Shi’ites for many centuries. Because of this Iranians have spared no expense on those sacred mosques which lie within their own … [Read more...]
KADHIMAIN MOSQUE (MASJID KADHIMAIN)
Baghdad, Iraq There was once a time when no other city in the world conjured up such an exotic vision of the Islamic world as Baghdad. Dominating the heart of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley at the crossroads of Arabia, Persia, the Holy Land and Turkish Asia, Baghdad was the most magnificent city in the world during its golden age in the 9th and 10th centuries. Baghdad has also … [Read more...]
IMAM HUSSAYN MOSQUE (MASJID IMAM HUSSAYN) & ABBAS MOSQUE (MASJID ABBAS)
Karbala, Iraq The holy sites of the city of Karbala in Iraq are closely tied to those of Najaf, geographically, religiously and historically. Located about halfway between Najaf and Baghdad in Iraq’s Shi’ite corridor, its two great mosques contain the tombs of Hussayn, the third Imam, and his brother Abbas. Because of its close proximity and relationship to the Masjid Imam … [Read more...]
