| Al-'Askarī Shrine | |
|---|---|
Arabic: مَرْقَد ٱلْإِمَامَيْن عَلِيّ ٱلْهَادِي وَٱلْحَسَن ٱلْعَسْكَرِيّ Marqad al-ʾImāmayn ʿAlī al-Hādī wal-Ḥasan al-ʿAskarī | |
 Al-Askari Mosque in 2021 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shia Islam |
| Rite | Shia (Twelver) |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Mosque and shrine |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Samarra, Iraq |
  Location in Iraq | |
| Geographic coordinates | 34°11′56″N 43°52′25″E / 34.1989°N 43.8735°E |
| Architecture | |
| Completed | 944 AD |
| Destroyed |
|
| Specifications | |
| Dome(s) | 1 |
| Dome height (outer) | 68 metres (223 ft) |
| Dome dia. (outer) | 20 metres (66 ft) |
| Minaret(s) | 2 |
| Minaret height | 36 metres (118 ft) |
| Spire(s) | 1 (destroyed) |
| Shrine(s) | 3 |
Al-Askari Shrine, the 'Askariyya Shrine, or Al-Askari Mosque[a] is a Shia Muslim mosque and mausoleum in the Iraqi city of Samarra 125 km (78 mi) from Baghdad. It is one of the most important Shia shrines in the world. It was built in 944.[1] The dome was destroyed in a bombing by Sunni extremists in February 2006 and its two remaining minarets were destroyed in another bombing in June 2007, causing widespread anger among Shias and instigation of the Iraqi Civil War between the country's Shia and Sunni factions.[2] The remaining clock tower was also destroyed in July 2007.[3] The dome and minarets were repaired and the mosque reopened in April 2009.[4]
The 10th and 11th Shī'īte Imams, 'Alī al-Hādī ("an-Naqī") and his son Ḥasan al-'Askarī, known as al-'Askariyyayn ("the two 'Askarīs"), are buried in the shrine.[5] Housed in the mosque are also the tombs of Ḥakīma Khātūn, sister of 'Alī al-Hādī; and Narjis Khātūn, the mother of Muḥammad al-Mahdī.[6] Adjacent to the mosque is another domed commemorative building, the Serdab ("cistern"), built over the cistern where the Twelfth Imam, Muḥammad al-Mahdī, first entered the Minor Occultation or "hidden from the view"—whence the other title of the Mahdi, the Hidden Imam.[citation needed]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Knight, Sam (22 February 2006). "Al-Askariya shrine: 'Not just a major cathedral'". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2006.
- ^ "Iraq Timeline: Since the 2003 War". United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "Iraqi blast damages Shia shrine". BBC News. 22 February 2006.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
thirteenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "History of the Shrine of Imam Ali al-Naqi & Imam Hasan Al-Askari, Peace Be Upon Them". Al-Islam.org. Archived from the original on 23 February 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2006.
- ^ Shrine of Imām al-Hādī and Imām al-‘Askarī Archived 4 March 2006 at the Wayback Machine (ArchNet Digital Library)