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Ready-made plan

Extended Iraq ziyarat

Karbala, Najaf, Kufa, Kadhimiya and Samarra, with lighter days set aside for travel between cities.

Cities
Karbala, Najaf, Kufa, Kadhimiya, Samarra
Suggested length
7 suggested days
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Starts in Karbala and goes south to Najaf and Kufa, then north to Kadhimiya in Baghdad and on to Samarra. Travel days are kept light on purpose.

Day 1: Karbala, the two shrines

Imam Hussain (AS), then across Bayn al-Haramayn to al-Abbas (AS).

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

    العتبة الحسينية

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

    العتبة العباسية

Day 2: Karbala, places of Ashura

Al-Mukhayam and Tal al-Zainabiya, with time for return visits.

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

    المخيم الحسيني

  2. 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

Day 3: Travel to Najaf

A travel day. Visit Imam Ali (AS) once you have arrived and rested.

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

    العتبة العلوية

Day 4: Najaf and Kufa

Wadi al-Salam and Kumayl ibn Ziyad, then the Great Mosque of Kufa with Muslim ibn Aqil, Hani ibn Urwa and al-Mukhtar beside it.

  1. Stop 6: Wadi al-Salam Cemetery

    مقبرة وادي السلام

  2. 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

  3. 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

Day 5: Kufa

The house of Imam Ali (AS) and Masjid al-Sahla. Keep the evening free before the long journey north.

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

    بيت أمير المؤمنين

  2. 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

Day 6: Travel to Baghdad, Kadhimiya

A long travel day. Visit the Kadhimiya shrine if time and energy allow.

  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

Day 7: Samarra

The al-Askari shrine and the Sacred Sardab, which are at the same complex and count as one stop. Check current access arrangements before setting out.

  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)

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.