• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

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

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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 city of Najaf in Iraq.  However, a significant minority place his gravesite at the Masjid Hazrat Ali in Mazar E Sharif.  Also known as the Blue Mosque, it is the most important and visited Islamic shrine in Afghanistan, and was until the arrival of the Mughals, the most important in Central Asia.

History

According to both Sunni and Shi’ite tradition, Ali lived out his life in the Islamic heartlands of Arabia and Mesopotamia.  There is no record of his ever having traveled as far as Afghanistan, and though his tomb was originally kept secret, there is no reason to believe that it was any place other than southern reaches of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley.  However, a sizeable minority of Muslims have maintained for the last eight centuries that the body of Ali has in fact been in Afghanistan all of these years.  According to local tradition, an Afghan cleric received a vision of Ali sometime around the 12th century.  In the dream, the Caliph directed the cleric to the location of the true gravesite.  A subsequent excavation uncovered an ancient tomb which contained a perfectly preserved body.

The body was immediately declared to be that of Ali, the 4th caliph, and pilgrims came from miles around to venerate the tomb.  The local Seljuk rulers decided to uphold the claim and established a mosque at the site.  Although the authenticity of the tomb was never accepted in the wider Islamic world, its relatively easy accessibility drew hordes of visitors from throughout Central Asia, many of whom did not have the time or money to make it all the way to Mecca.

Unfortunately, the wealth that the pilgrim trade brought to the city made Mazar E Sharif a prime target for conquest, and when the Mongols arrived it was one of the first Muslim cities to fall.  The Shrine of Ali was sacked and totally destroyed, and thereafter remained abandoned for many years, until the arrival of the Timurids.  Newly converted followers of Islam, the Timurids were excited at the prospect of having one of the great Islamic heroes buried in their territory.  Funds poured in to build a new mosque, and by the end of the 15th century Mazar E Sharif was again overflowing with visitors.  In later years the shrine would become the chief pilgrimage city of the Mughals despite its remote location.

For the next four centuries Mazar E Sharif survived as a reasonably quiet backwater of Central Asia, content to receive pilgrims and their wealth.  During the 19th century Afghanistan fell in to the tug-of-war between the British and Russian Empires, at which time Mazar E Sharif became a spiritual center of resistance to the European colonial powers.  Later it was caught in the crossfire between moderate and fundamentalist Muslims.  Amazingly the Blue Mosque has survived much of the carnage of the 20th century largely intact.  Among its devout followers, who have rallied around it in defiance of foreign powers, it is considered the one of the holiest cities in Islam.

Visiting

The Masjid Hazrat Ali is a unique blend of Persian, Indian and Central Asian styles and is regarded as the most beautiful mosque in Afghanistan.  Nothing remains of the original building.  The current mosque dates from the early 16th century, and has been renovated frequently.  The structure, which is covered from top to bottom in intricate tilework and mosaics, features numerous wings, extensions, towers and minarets.  Because of this it appears like a symmetrically organized pile of children’s building blocks.  The various levels are crowned with a veritable mountain range of blue domes.

The interior of the mosque is similarly decorated with brilliant tilework.  The tomb of Ali, which was actually destroyed and desecrated at the time of the Mongols, is believed to lie beneath the main dome of the mosque.  Also within the complex are several other tombs belonging to sons of Dost Mohammed Khan, a 19th century ruler.  The Blue Mosque is also famous for its sizeable population of holy pigeons.

The Masjid Hazrat Ali absolutely dominates the center of Mazar E Sharif, approximately 185 miles northwest of Kabul.  Due to ongoing problems in the region, visitor information was not available as of the time of this writing.  Web: N/A.

Other Sites

While the Blue Mosque has been stubornly maintained over the centuries in the face of the innumerable wars that have ravaged the area, virtually no other major religious sites of significance in Northern Afghanistan are still standing.

Filed Under: Gravesite, Muslim, Shi'ite Tagged With: Central Asia

Where would you like to go?

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

About Howard Kramer

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 a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Comments

  1. Amit Roy says

    February 10, 2020 at 8:47 am

    Such a nice post..

    Reply
    • Howard Kramer says

      March 23, 2020 at 12:09 pm

      Thanks you sir!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

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.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2025 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.