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MOSQUES OF FATH ALI SHAH (MASJID SOLTANI)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Teheran, Iran Teheran is one of the youngest major cities in Iran, and despite the fact that it is the national capital and the second largest city in the Middle East after Cairo, it boasts virtually no ancient or medieval mosques of significance.  That said, when Teheran did begin to come into its own as the political center of Persia, the rulers of the Safavid and Qajar … [Read more...]

IMAM KHOMEINI SQUARE

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Esfahan, Iran Imam Khomeini Square is a public square, one of the largest in the Middle East, that many Iranians hold dear as the cultural heart of their country.  It is one of the most popular tourism sites in Iran, and though it lacks the religious importance of Qom or Mashhad, the Imam Khomeini Square does not lack for gawking visitors, both Muslim and non-Muslim.  The … [Read more...]

GOLESTAN PALACE

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Teheran, Iran Persia is arguably the world’s oldest, most continuous state.  Since the days of the Medes in the 1st Millenium BC, a procession of nations has existed in this neighborhood that roughly conform to Iran’s modern-day borders.  Despite conquests by the Greeks, Arabs and Mongols, Persia’s geography has remained more or less intact.  In the ensuing twenty five … [Read more...]

MOSQUES OF SHIRAZ (MASJID VAKIL, MASJID NASIR AL-MULK, MADRASSA KHAN)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Shiraz, Iran Shiraz is one of the oldest and most historically important cities in Iran.  In addition to its prominence in ancient times, it has served as the capital of Islamic Persia twice, most recently in the 18th century.  Many of the city’s most prominent mosques and other religious institutions were built or refurnished during the Qajar period, notably the Masjid Nasir … [Read more...]

JAMEH MOSQUE (MASJID JAMEH)

April 14, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

Esfahan, Iran Esfahan occupies a strange, undefinable niche in the impressive catalog of Persian-Iranian cities.  It is not the current the capital city, nor the largest, nor the oldest.  It is not home to major pilgrimage sites, Shi’ite or otherwise, and is eclipsed by other cities of greater religious importance.  And yet for all of that, Esfahan is the most quintessential … [Read more...]

AL-HUSSAYN MOSQUE (MASJID AL-HUSSAYN)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

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)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer 2 Comments

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

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

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)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

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)

April 12, 2015 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

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...]

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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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