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...]
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...]
KADHIMAIN MOSQUE (MASJID KADHIMAIN)
Baghdad, Iraq There was once a time when no other city in the world conjured up such an exotic vision of the Islamic world as Baghdad. Dominating the heart of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley at the crossroads of Arabia, Persia, the Holy Land and Turkish Asia, Baghdad was the most magnificent city in the world during its golden age in the 9th and 10th centuries. Baghdad has also … [Read more...]
IMAM HUSSAYN MOSQUE (MASJID IMAM HUSSAYN) & ABBAS MOSQUE (MASJID ABBAS)
Karbala, Iraq The holy sites of the city of Karbala in Iraq are closely tied to those of Najaf, geographically, religiously and historically. Located about halfway between Najaf and Baghdad in Iraq’s Shi’ite corridor, its two great mosques contain the tombs of Hussayn, the third Imam, and his brother Abbas. Because of its close proximity and relationship to the Masjid Imam … [Read more...]
TALHA IBN UBAYD-ALLAH MOSQUE (MASJID TALHA IBN UBAYD-ALLAH)
Basra, Iraq No city in the Islamic world has more embodied, or suffered more from, the endless blood feud between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims than Basra. Located close to the mouth of the Tigris-Euphrates River, Basra is historically where the Sunni and Shi’ite worlds meet. Subsequently it has been the scene of brutal fighting between the two groups ever since, from the Battle … [Read more...]
IMAM ALI MOSQUE (MASJID IMAM ALI)
Najaf, Iraq Depending on who you ask, Ali ibn Abu Talib was either the 4th Caliph of Sunni Islam or the 1st Imam of Shi’ite Islam. Either way, he was the last man to rule over the Islamic Caliphate in its entirety. Ali was both a cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed, and a member of the Prophet’s inner circle of followers. His tomb is revered among Shiites, which regard it as … [Read more...]
WALLED CITY OF ARBIL
Arbil, Iraq The old walled city of Arbil, also known as the Arbil Citadel, is one of the world’s oldest relatively intact walled cities, recent renovations notwithstanding. A fortification has stood on the spot since at least the 3rd millennium BC, and it was an important waystation on the vital trade routes of Northern Mesopotamia throughout much of its history. It has also … [Read more...]
BAM CITADEL
Bam, Iran The Bam Citadel is, or was, one of the oldest standing fortifications on Earth, and possibly the largest mud-brick structure ever built. This magnificent hill-top fortress had dominated the ancient city of Bam from perhaps as early as 500 BC before being almost completely destroyed by an earthquake just a few years ago. An effort to rebuild this ancient … [Read more...]
