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Ziyarat Guide
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Complete Iraq collection

All the Iraq sites covered by this guide, city by city, starting with Karbala. Use the cities you need.

Cities
Karbala, Najaf, Kufa, Kadhimiya, Samarra, Musayyib
Suggested length
Flexible, city by city
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A reference pack of all the Iraq sites covered by this guide, grouped by city and starting with Karbala. It is not a promise to visit everything in a fixed number of days. Choose the cities that suit your journey.

Karbala

The shrines of Imam Hussain (AS) and al-Abbas (AS), Bayn al-Haramayn between them, and the places of Ashura nearby.

  1. Stop 1: Shrine of Imam Hussain (AS)

    العتبة الحسينية

  2. Stop 2: Shrine of al-Abbas (AS)

    العتبة العباسية

  3. Stop 3: Al-Mukhayyam (the Camp)

    المخيم الحسيني

  4. Stop 4: Tal al-Zainabiyya

    التل الزينبي

    • A raised site traditionally associated with Lady Zaynab (AS), sister of Imam Hussain (AS), during the events of Ashura. Listed under “Key Landmarks” on the existing site. Read the guide to Tal al-Zainabiyya

Najaf

The shrine of Imam Ali (AS), Wadi al-Salam and Kumayl ibn Ziyad.

  1. Stop 5: Shrine of Imam Ali (AS)

    العتبة العلوية

  2. Stop 6: Wadi al-Salam Cemetery

    مقبرة وادي السلام

  3. Stop 7: Shrine of Kumayl ibn Ziyad

    مرقد كميل بن زياد

    • The resting place of Kumayl ibn Ziyad, a close companion of Imam Ali (AS) and Imam al-Hasan (AS), and the narrator of the supplication known as Dua Kumayl. He was killed on the orders of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf around 82 AH. The shrine stands on the route between Kufa and Najaf. Read the guide to Shrine of Kumayl ibn Ziyad

Kufa

Close to Najaf. Muslim ibn Aqil, Hani ibn Urwa and al-Mukhtar are beside the Great Mosque and count as one stop.

  1. Stop 8: Great Mosque of Kufa

    مسجد الكوفة المعظم

    • Kufa Mosque: One of the oldest mosques in Islam, where Imam Ali (AS) led prayers and was fatally struck during the dawn prayer in Ramadan 40 AH. Read the guide to Great Mosque of Kufa
    • Muslim ibn Aqil: The resting place of Muslim ibn Aqil, Imam Hussain’s (AS) envoy to Kufa, who was killed there in 60 AH. It adjoins the Great Mosque of Kufa. Read the guide to Shrine of Muslim ibn Aqil (AS)
    • Hani ibn Urwa: The resting place of Hani ibn Urwa, who sheltered Muslim ibn Aqil, Imam Hussain’s (AS) envoy, and was killed in Kufa in 60 AH. It is beside the shrine of Muslim ibn Aqil, within the Great Mosque of Kufa complex. Read the guide to Shrine of Hani ibn Urwa
    • al-Mukhtar: The resting place of al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, who led an uprising in Kufa after Karbala to avenge Imam Hussain (AS). It is within the Great Mosque of Kufa complex. Read the guide to Shrine of al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi

  2. Stop 9: House of Imam Ali (AS)

    بيت أمير المؤمنين

  3. Stop 10: Masjid al-Sahla

    مسجد السهلة

    • A first-century mosque about two kilometres north-west of the Great Mosque of Kufa. Shia tradition holds that prophets prayed here, and narrations attributed to Imam al-Sadiq (AS) describe it as the place where Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf) will reside after his reappearance. A station (maqam) within it is attributed to him. Read the guide to Masjid al-Sahla

Kadhimiya (Baghdad)

The shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (AS) and Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (AS).

  1. Stop 11: Shrine of al-Kadhimayn

    العتبة الكاظمية

    • The shrine in Kadhimiya, in the north of Baghdad, where Imam Musa al-Kadhim (AS) and his grandson Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (AS) are buried. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi are among the scholars also buried here. Read the guide to Shrine of al-Kadhimayn

Samarra

The al-Askari shrine and the Sacred Sardab share one complex and count as one stop. Check current access arrangements.

  1. Stop 12: Shrine of al-Askariyyayn

    مرقد الإمامين العسكريين

    • al-Askari Shrine: The shrine in Samarra where Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS) and his son Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) are buried, in what was their home. Narjis, mother of Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf), and Hakima, daughter of Imam al-Jawad (AS), are also buried here. The dome was destroyed in bombings in 2006 and 2007 and has since been rebuilt. Read the guide to Shrine of al-Askariyyayn
    • The Sardab: A lower chamber in the house of the Imams in Samarra, beside the al-Askariyyayn shrine, which Twelver Shia tradition associates with Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf) and his occultation (ghayba). It is a place of prayer, not a grave. Read the guide to Sardab of Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf)

Elsewhere in Iraq

The shrine of the two sons of Muslim ibn Aqil, near Musayyib.

  1. Stop 13: Shrine of the Two Sons of Muslim ibn Aqil

    مرقد أولاد مسلم بن عقيل

Before you go

  • Durations are suggestions, not schedules. Crowds, especially during Muharram and Arbaeen, can change everything.
  • Opening times, journey times and access rules are not included because they change. Check locally on the day.
  • Follow shrine staff, police and posted entrance instructions.
  • Intercity road journeys vary with traffic and checkpoints. Ask your driver or accommodation on the day, and do not overfill travel days.