The Holy Cities of Iraq

Sacred sights are still important in Iraq.

Nippur

Nippur is the place where the temple of the God Enlil was situated and was occupied for 5,000 years. Enlil or ’lord of the command’ of wind, air and space separating earth and heaven. When he was a young god he was banished from the home of the gods for raping a young girl called Ninlil. Ninlil followed him to the underworld where she bore his first child, the moon god Sin. He was originally though to be vicious and unkind but later Sumerians saw him as a fatherly figure.

These’ holy cities’ became a pattern for future Shi’a holy cities such as Karbala and Najaf - places of pilgrimage and places where scribes and priests were trained. As disputes between these cities grew another pattern was set for Iraqi history.

Najaf

Najaf is one of the holiest cities of Shi’a Islam and the centre of Shi’a political power in Iraq. It is the site of the tomb of Imam Ali whom Shi’a consider to be the righteous caliph and first Imam. It is the centre of pilgrimage from throughout the Shi’ite Islamic world. Nearby is the ’Wadi of Peace’ said to be the largest cemetery in the Islamic world and containing the tombs of several prophets. Many aspire to be buried here. It is a centre of Shi’a learning and theology, a Shi’a ‘school of faith’. Ayatollah Khomeini spent 15 years here from 1964 until he was deported.

The city was besieged by the Wahhabis in the late 18th century. The British ruled it after 1915. The sheiks here rebelled, killing the British governor and in retaliation the British besieged the city and cut off its water supply.

Karbala

Karbala is a very significant city. Here in AD 680 Muhammad’s grandson and his followers were massacred in an attempt to regain Islamic succession from the ruling Sunni Caliph. It is a Shi’ite holy shrine and place of pilgrimage which is the spiritual base of the spirit of martyrdom which influences so many Shi’ite Muslims. Each year on Ashura, the anniversary of Hussein Ali’s death Shi’ites around the world attempt to participate in the sacrifice of their hero through self inflicted wounds. Millions of Shi’ite pilgrims travel here throughout the year. They see this city as a gate of paradise so many also desire to die here.

It has 100 mosques and 23 religious schools. The late Ayatollah Khomeini often rallied his followers with the cry ’Every day is Ashura and every place is Karbala’. Good Shi’ites should prefer a bloody death to a life of shame. ‘We are ready to be killed and we have made a covenant with god to follow our leader the Lord of Martyrs’. It was with this concept that many Shi’ite soldiers, some only children, from Iran sacrificed themselves during the Iran/ Iraq war with the full support of their parents. This city needs sustained prayer.

City Profiles

Go to the city profiles page to look at historical / spiritual profiles of ten key cities in Iraq.