Whereas Baghdad gives hundreds of years of historical past, a strong power emanates from town of Karbala.
In spite of everything, how else was I going to have the ability to journey by war-torn Iraq (the place the Islamic State has solely not too long ago been defeated) and achieve entry to the closely sanctioned nation of Iran? Mesopotamia – the cradle of civilisation and residential to many Imams of the Islamic world – has been off-limits to most strange vacationers for the reason that days of Saddam Hussein.
We took off from Lahore and some hours later discovered ourselves touchdown in Baghdad, the famed metropolis of The Arabian Nights. The airport was small and run-down, and we needed to watch for not less than two to 3 hours for our group visa to be cleared. We waited patiently and entered Baghdad at nightfall; there have been palm timber galore and the roads have been easy sufficient.
Our pleasure was mounting as we headed straight for the illuminating shrine of Ghous Pak (Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani). We paid our respects on the fantastically lit white shrine, ate the scrumptious langar (communal meal) of rice and hen (supplied by a Pakistani household from Faisalabad) after which headed to our resort. We felt greater than welcomed to a metropolis based on the west financial institution of the Tigris in 762AD by the Abbasid dynasty.
The fantastically illuminated shrine of Ghous Pak
The door to his shrine
His closing resting place
We stayed at Resort Palestine, which is situated close to the traditional Tigris River, with a vibrant historical past of its personal; it was a favorite amongst international journalists in the course of the Gulf wars and had been shelled!
View of the Tigris River from Resort Palestine
There are roadblocks throughout Iraq and paramilitary forces with armoured automobiles will be seen on all main roundabouts. The receptionist at our resort smiled and clapped joyfully when she found we have been Pakistani and gave us comfy rooms (our current military standoff appears to have made them completely happy).
Baghdad seems to be like it’s caught in an 80’s time warp – the buildings all appear to be from that period. Nonetheless, a lot of the particles from the bombed-out infrastructure has been eliminated. We discovered it to be a bustling metropolis with crowded eating places and dangerous visitors jams.
We crossed the Tigris River many instances, the final one being to go to the shrine of Persian mystic Mansur al Hallaj. He’s recognized for his saying, “I’m the Reality”, which many noticed as a declare to divinity leading to his execution, whereas others noticed it for instance of annihilation of the ego.
The tomb of the Persian mystic
We additionally visited the burial place of Abu Hanifa, the founding father of the Hanafi faculty of Sunni jurisprudence. Nonetheless, the spotlight of our Baghdad keep was the go to to the north of town to Kazmain, the place Imams Musa al Kazim (AS) and Muhammad al Jawad (AS), each direct descendants of the Prophet (PBUH), are buried.
Outdoors the Ziyarat of the Kazmain Imams in Baghdad
This can be a world well-known shrine and one of the vital vital mosques within the Islamic world, with an enormous gilded dome and 4 minarets rising above its courtyard, all coated with gold, Kufic inscriptions. There are canopied balconies, mirror mosaics, glazed tiles, and infinite flooring of marble. The ultimate resting locations of all of the Imams buried in Iraq, we have been to find, have been equally awe-inspiring.
The shrine was very crowded throughout our go to and there was a protracted stroll to it because it has been bombed prior to now, which is why the close by streets had been cordoned off.
Armoured automobiles and troopers guarding shrines are a typical sight in Baghdad
The opposite spotlight of our Baghdad go to was to the two,000-year-old Persian monument Taq Kasra, or Arch of Ctesiphon, the world’s largest brick vault. Someway it has survived all of the current wars and is really a sight to see, given its immense scale and magnificence. Taq Kasra is situated close to the shrine of Salman al Farsi (RA), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the primary Persian to transform to Islam.
Taq Kasra
On our final day in Baghdad, we headed to the traditional city of Samarra to go to the tenth and 11th Imams, Ali al Hadi (AS) and his son Hasan al Askari (AS). Each are buried in a heavily-guarded shrine, which has been bombed twice lately and needed to be rebuilt. Adjoining to the mosque is one other domed constructing constructed over the cistern the place the 12th Imam, Muhammad al Mahdi (AS), disappeared; therefore the title of the Mahdi, the Hidden Imam.
The final place Imam Mahdi was seen
We have been sorry to go away Baghdad – there was a lot to see and such little time – however we needed to transfer on to Karbala, the place rain greeted us. Highly effective power emanates from this metropolis, the burial place of Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), close to the place the place he was martyred in the course of the Battle of Karbala in 680AD. Inside the shrine of Imam Hussain (RA), we discovered the mass grave of all 72 martyrs of Karbala who fought and died alongside him, regardless of the heavy odds they confronted.
We quickly joined the hundreds of individuals jostling to enter the Ziyarat. Reverse is the shrine of his brother, Hazrat Abbas (AS), who was additionally martyred in the course of the Battle of Karbala by Yazid’s males whereas bringing some water from the Euphrates River for the Prophet’s (PBUH) household. There’s a pretty walkway lined with palm timber between the 2 shrines, and we regularly went there to sit down and pray as our resort was close by.
Hazrat Abbas (AS) shrine glistening because the solar units in Karbala with the walkway in entrance
Our subsequent cease was Najaf, and fortunately our resort was situated proper subsequent to my favorite Ziyarat: Imam Ali’s (RA) resplendent shrine. He’s thought of the daddy of Sufism, as nearly all Sufi orders declare their descent from him.
Imam Ali’s (RA) shrine in Najaf
The doorway to the shrine
After visiting his peaceable shrine, we went to Kufa to see the nice mosque, one of many oldest on the planet, the place Hazrat Ali (RA) was struck by a poisoned sword and handed away after two days. We visited his easy however elegant home subsequent to the mosque (fortunately preserved by the Iraqi authorities) the place his physique was washed earlier than being buried in secret. Imam Ali (RA) had earlier dug a nicely in his home and even immediately one can drink its therapeutic waters.
The Nice Mosque of Kufa
The home in Kufa has been preserved by the Iraqi authorities
Our closing cease was town of Mashad in Iran, dwelling of the eighth Imam, Hazrat Ali Reza (AS), whose shrine is basically the center of town – all roads result in his Ziyarat! We took a brief flight from Najaf to Mashad, which is the second most populous metropolis in Iran. Mashad means the place of martyrdom; Imam Reza (AS) was poisoned by Caliph al Ma’mun. A truth I realized throughout my journey is that not one of the Imams lived to an previous age – all have been poisoned or assassinated.
Imam Reza’s (AS) ornate shrine is big, with its many courtyards and mosques, and is taken into account the Vatican of Iran, run in an environment friendly and orderly method. It’s also beautiful, with its Persian carpets and crystal chandeliers galore. We have been fortunate sufficient to eat from the shrine’s well-known langar and loved the Imam’s hospitality!
The underground crypt the place individuals can pray and meditate
Mashad is a clear, fashionable metropolis, and feels prefer it may very well be anyplace in Europe, besides all the ladies put on lengthy black chadors.
Earlier than we knew it, our go to was over, and drained however rejuvenated we discovered ourselves on the airplane again to Lahore. There have been so many reminiscences to treasure and so many adventures to retell. Iraq is slowly recovering from warfare and getting again on its toes, and I’d suggest everybody to go go to this fascinating nation alongside Iran, no matter your non secular beliefs. As we have been advised wherever we went,
“Ziyarat qubool.”
(Might your pilgrimage be accepted)
(All images by creator)
