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Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

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MOUNT TAI

June 26, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

China (1,532 m) – One of the Five Sacred Mountains of China (east) Mount Tai in Shandong Province is the third highest of China’s Five Sacred Mountains.  Representing the east, it is the most accessible, most visited and generally considered to be the most important from a religious standpoint.  According to tradition, it was the home of several deities in ancient times, … [Read more...]

JABAL AL-NOUR

June 26, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Saudi Arabia (842 m) – Periodic Home of the Prophet Muhammad Jabal Al-Nour is a tall, rocky hill just outside of the city of Mecca.  According to Muslim tradition, it was on this mountain where the Prophet Muhammad received his earliest divine revelations that ultimately led to the foundation of Islam.  Often overlooked because of its proximity to the great shrines of Mecca, … [Read more...]

HILL OF ARAFAT & TENT CITY OF MINA

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Mecca, Saudi Arabia Virtually every pilgrim to Mecca makes a detour to visit the Tent City of Mina and the Hill of Arafat.  These are mandatory stops for those pilgrims making the official Hajj, and important ceremonies and traditions take place at both of these locations.  Both places played a small but important role in the early history of Islam.  The Hill of Arafat is the … [Read more...]

CAVE OF HIRA

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer 10 Comments

Mecca, Saudi Arabia Often overlooked because of its proximity to the great shrines of Mecca, the Cave of Hira is nevertheless one of the great if underappreciated holy sites of Saudi Arabia.  It was in this tiny cave, barely more than a niche on the side of Jabal An-Nur, that the Prophet spent much of his time during his early adult years; and it was here that he received his … [Read more...]

BATTLEFIELDS OF THE PROPHET

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Badr & Medina, Saudi Arabia In addition to his role as spiritual leader of the early Muslim community, the Prophet Muhammad served his followers as their military commander as well.  This necessity was forced upon him by the myriad foes that constantly threatened the survival of the Muslims, and much of the latter part of his career was spent fighting to unite the tribes … [Read more...]

AL-QUBA MOSQUE (MASJID AL-QUBA)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer 4 Comments

Medina, Saudi Arabia The Prophet Muhammad spent most of the later years of his life in Medina, at first as an exile and later as a permanent resident.  During this period he erected a mosque in Medina so that he and his followers would have a regular place to pray when not in Mecca.  This was the Masjid Al-Quba, and it is considered the first mosque ever built, not counting … [Read more...]

AL-AQSA MOSQUE (MASJID AL-AQSA) & DOME OF THE ROCK

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Jerusalem, Palestine Among the defining moments of the life of the Prophet Muhammad was his fabled night-journey to Jerusalem.  In the course of a single evening, Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from there to Heaven, where he subsequently spoke with Abraham, Moses and Jesus.  Specifically, the tradition of the Prophet’s journey only refers to his visit to ‘the … [Read more...]

AL-NABAWI MOSQUE (MASJID AL-NABAWI)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Medina, Saudi Arabia Medina, Mohammed’s home in exile and the first seat of the Caliphate under the Rashidun, is the second holiest city in Islam.  Located north of Mecca in the western desert of the Arabian Peninsula, Medina has become an all-but-mandatory stopover for Muslims making the overland pilgrimage to or from Mecca.  In fact a visit to Medina is usually so closely … [Read more...]

AL-HARAM MOSQUE (MASJID AL-HARAM)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Mecca, Saudi Arabia There is no other way to say it – Mecca is the Mecca of all religious pilgrimage destinations.  This one-time small trading post, home to an ancient, tiny shrine of the Abrahamic faith, has reigned supreme as the world’s most visited religious site for well over a thousand years.  To visit the Grand Mosque of Mecca and the Holy Kaaba at least once in is one … [Read more...]

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

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Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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