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Tour in the South
Religious Sites

 

 

Kerbala:


(Imam al Hussain shrine), Al Abbas shrine. It lies 102 kms, away from Baghdad, 78 kms away from Najaf and 45 kms, away from Hilla. It witnessed great events which left their mark on Islamic history – mainly the tragic battle of Tuff, in which were martyred Immam Hussain Bin Ali and his brother Abbas together with many others, who are buried in their two great shrines in the city. Kerbala, though practically on the edge of the desert, lies amidst fruitful orchards thick with greenery and palm trees. The famed Ukhadher castle is 50 kms away from the city.


Najaf:
The shrine of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib. 60 kms to the south of Hilla is the holy city of Najaf, where lies the shrine of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib with its resplendent golden dome and minarets. Great quantities of priceless objects, gifts of potentates and sultans, are treasured in the mosque. One of Islam’s most important seats of religious instruction, Najaf has many schools where grammar, theology, history and literature are taught. Thousands of pilgrims visit the city annually.


Kufa:

Muslim bin aqeel tomb. An important Islamic town of early Arab history, Kufa was the first Arab capital proper, founded by Saad Bin Abi Waqqas in A.D 618 and adopted by Ali Bin Abi Talib as the center of his caliphate. It had four sectors with the house of the caliphate and the mosque occupying the central space. Its main mosque with the golden dome holds the tombs of Muslim Bin Aqeel and Hani Bin Arwa. It stands on the site of the original first mosque which excavations have shown to have been square in dimensions. It has 28 semi circular towers. Next to the mosque the house of Imam Ali Bin Abi Talib is reconstructed house of the caliphate (Dar Al-Imara) which has an outer square wall, each side 170 meters long, 4 meters thick, with 6 semi circular towers supporting each side, with the exception of the northern side which has only two towers. The inner building is also square-shaped, 110 meters to every side with walls two meters thick, and similarly supported by semi circular towers. It has a number of halls, “ewans” and courtyards.

Basrah:
It was the starting point of Sinbad the sailor’s adventurous voyages to the world. When you see it today you will be reminded of the commercial importance it has enjoyed for centuries: endless ships shuttle back and foth on Shatt Al Arab, on which it is built. It is Iraq’s port on the Arabian gulf. All around it are millions of palm trees whose delicious dates belong, literally, to hundreds of categories.
Basrah was found by Utba Bin Ghazwan on orders from caliph Omar Bin Al Khattab in A.D 637 and has been a major Islamic city ever since. There are so many places of archaeological interest as well as religious importance, such as Imam Ali’s mosque built in the year 14 after Hijra, the shrines of Al-Zubair Bin Al awam, Talha bin Ubaidillah, Al hassan Al basri, ibn Serene and Ibn Al Jawzi.

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