Damascus, Syria As if the Tomb of Saladin wasn’t enough, Damascus also boasts the gravesite of yet another of the greatest Islamic military commanders of all time: Abu Al-Futah, better known as Baybars, who led the beleagured Muslims of Syria and Egypt to tremendous victories against both the Crusaders and the Mongols. Although Baybars did not restore the Islamic Empire of … [Read more...]
MAUSOLEUM OF SALADIN
Damascus, Syria Between the end of the Rashidun Caliphate and the modern day, there has been no greater Islamic political figure than Saladin Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Saladin, one of the most gifted and respected leaders and military commanders in history, rallied the Islamic world in one of its darkest hours to a tremendous strategic victory over the combined Christian armies of … [Read more...]
ALAEDDIN MOSQUE (MASJID ALAEDDIN)
Konya, Turkey The Masjid Alaeddin is the great mosque of the city of Konya which for many years was the capital of the Seljuk kingdom in Asia Minor. Aside from being the chief mosque of the Seljuk sultans in the Middle Ages, it was also their chief burial site. The tombs of at least eight Seljuk rulers from the 12th and 13th centuries are located within the Masjid Alaeddin, … [Read more...]
TOMBS OF THE IDRISIDS (MASJID MOULAY IDRIS I, ZAOUAI MOULEY IDRIS II)
Fes & Zerhoun, Morocco Of all of the countries of North Africa, none boasts as many great classical Islamic cities as Morocco: Tangier, Rabat and splendid Marrakesh, just to name a few. These cities are home to ancient medinas and magnificent mosques. But the oldest of all are Fes and Zerhoun, the first Islamic cities in Morocco, and home to the region’s first Muslim … [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...]
