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

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GREAT MOSQUE OF SANA’A

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Sana’a, Yemen Yemen is something of a conundrum in the Islamic world.  Geographically the closest country by land to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, it was the first place outside of what is now Saudi Arabia where Islam was introduced.  It then spent well over a thousand years as little more than a forgotten corner of the Muslim world.  Thanks to its strangely ironic … [Read more...]

KHAST IMAM MOSQUE (MASJID KHAST IMAM)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Tashkent, Uzbekistan Generally speaking, the most revered artifacts of Islam that have survived the centuries have been preserved in places that make geographical sense: Mecca, Cairo, Istanbul and so forth.  So it is unusual that the Uthman Qur’an, believed to be the oldest known copy of the Qur’an and which according to tradition was once in the possession of Uthman, Ali or … [Read more...]

TOPKAPI PALACE

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Istanbul, Turkey The Islamic world has a long tradition of honoring its famous dead, and many mosques have at their heart a mausoleum or tomb containing the relics of important Muslims, religious, political, literary or otherwise.  What is not common in the Islamic world is the preservation of important religious objects, with at least one major exception: The Sacred Trusts, … [Read more...]

AL-OMARI MOSQUE (MASJID AL-OMARI)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Beirut, Lebanon There are few places in the world which have changed hands between Christians and Muslims quite so often as the old Phoenician Coast in the Eastern Mediterranean.  As a result there are few places in the world where Christian and Muslim coexistence, peaceful or not, has lasted quite so long.  The enduring architectural symbol of this coexistence, if there is … [Read more...]

ISRAEL MUSEUM

June 8, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

ISRAEL MUSEUM

Jerusalem, Israel The Israel Museum is the national museum of the State of Israel and possibly the world’s greatest religious museum.  A sprawling world-class complex, no other museum in Israel, or perhaps in the entire Middle East (with the possible exception of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo) boasts so large or diverse a collection.  Designed to capture the immense, … [Read more...]

CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

June 8, 2014 By Howard Kramer 2 Comments

CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

Turin, Italy Of the countless ‘genuine’ Christian artifacts hauled back to Europe throughout history, none are quite as popular as the cloth known as the Shroud of Turin.  Believed to be the linen in which Christ’s body was wrapped at the time of his burial, it bears the image of a man who suffered death by crucifixion, but as a photo-negative image.  This artistic feat, … [Read more...]

GLASTONBURY TOR

June 8, 2014 By Howard Kramer 1 Comment

GLASTONBURY TOR

Glastonbury, England The strange, quasi-stepped hill that dominates the Salisbury plain has been a magnet for prophets and mystics since antiquity.  According to local tradition, Joseph of Arimathea stumbled upon the place after his long journey from Judea, and selected it as the central location for his Christian missionary work in Briton.  From the ruins of Glastonbury … [Read more...]

CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

June 8, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

Paris, France The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris is one of the most storied and famous cathedrals in history.  This is due in no small part to the literary achievements of Victor Hugo, who immortalized the edifice in his book The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Because of this, and because of its location in the heart of Paris, millions of tourists flock to Notre Dame every … [Read more...]

SANTO TORIBIO DE LIEBANA MONASTERY

June 8, 2014 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

SANTO TORIBIO DE LIEBANA MONASTERY

Cantabria, Spain The Santo Toribia De Liebana Monastery, tucked quietly away in a northern corner of Spain, has long harbored one of Christianity’s most coveted artifacts: the largest extent piece of the True Cross that Jesus was crucified upon.  Although critics have expressed pessimism at the authenticity of the True Cross as early as the 4th century AD, there is little … [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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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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