al-Askari shrine

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The al-Askari shrine in Samarra before it was destroyed in 2006
The al-Askari shrine in Samarra in 1916
Iraqi troops prepare to storm the insurgent-occupied al-Askari shrine in October 2004
The al-Askari shrine after the bomb attack on February 22, 2006

The al-Askari shrine ( in Arabic مرقد الإمامين علي الهادي والحسن العسكري, DMG Marqad al-imāmain ʿAlī al-Hādī wa-l-Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī ) is the name of a shrine and the mosque sheltering it ("Golden Mosque") in the Iraqi city ​​of Samarra , which is 125 kilometers north of Baghdad . It is also known as the "Tomb of the Two Imams" or the "Golden Mosque" and is considered one of the most important shrines for Shiite Muslims .

In the shrine are Imam Ali al-Hadi and his son Imam al-Hasan al-Askari - the 10th and 11th Imam of the Twelver Shiites  - and two female members of the family of the Prophet Mohammed is buried, namely Hakima Khatun, sister of Imam Ali an-Naqi , who reported extensively on the circumstances of the birth of Imam al-Mahdi , and Nargis Chatun, the mother of Imam al-Mahdi. The 68 m high main tower with a diameter of about 20 m rose above the actual shrine, the golden dome of which was donated by Nāser ad-Din Shah and completed under Mozaffar ad-Din Shah in 1905. The shrine is visited by thousands of Shiite pilgrims from all over the world every year.

Explosives attack

The building was occupied by insurgents in October 2004 and severely damaged by extremists on February 22, 2006 in an explosives attack, which destroyed the dome. The Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari then ordered a three-day state mourning . The Operation Swarmer was conducted because of this attack and the continuing violence in the region. Subsequently, riots between Shiites and Sunnis broke out across the country . Another bomb attack on June 13, 2007 completely destroyed the two minarets of the mosque.

reopening

After the rebuilding of the golden dome and the two minarets was completed in April 2009, the shrine was reopened to visitors.

Web links

Commons : al-Askari Shrine  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tagesschau: Iraq: curfew extended (tagesschau.de archive), February 24, 2006 [7. March 2006]
  2. ^ Spiegel Online: Attack destroys the minarets of the Golden Mosque , June 13, 2007
  3. ↑ Bombed Iraq shrine reopens to visitors

Coordinates: 34 ° 11 ′ 56 ″  N , 43 ° 52 ′ 25 ″  E