Karbala is reputed to be the city where Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, was martyred. Karbala is also the site of two important Shiite mosques, Al Abbass Mosque and Imam Hussain Mosque. Shiites observe a 40-day mourning period for this Imam every spring followed by a pilgrimage to this site. [1]
Najaf is the site of Ali ibn Abi Talib's tomb known to Shiites as "the wondrous place of martyrdom" and site of one of the world's largest and most important Muslim cemeteries. Najaf is also the site of Imam Ali Mosque one of the holiest Shi'ite mosques.
Great Mosque of KufainKufa, Iraq - contains the tombs of Muslim ibn Aqeel, Khadijah bint Ali, Hani ibn Urwa, and Al-Mukhtar. The mosque also contains many important sites relating to the prophets and Ali, including the place where he was fatally struck on the head while in prostration, Sujud.
Assyrian Christians constitute one of the most indigenous communities in the country. Iraq houses some of the most ancient early Christian material culture, including various churches and monasteries in Tikrit, Nineveh, Dohuk, and the Barwari Bala region. These sites include St. Hermiz and St. Matthew monasteries in the town of Alqosh, the churches of Mar Qayoma and St. George in the Assyrian village Dure in Barwar, St. Bnai Shmuni in Aradan, Sapna region, as well as St. Odisho in the village Dere, also in the Sapna region in Northern Iraq.
Baghdad – The House of Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad, is a place of Baháʼí pilgrimage. Its significance is that it is where Bahá'u'lláh lived in from 1853 to 1863 (except for two years). It is designated in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas as a place of pilgrimage and is considered a holy place by Baháʼís.[1] During the 1920s the house was confiscated by Shiah authorities, who were hostile to the Baháʼí Faith. The Council of the League of Nations upheld the Baháʼí's claim to the house, but it has not yet been returned to the Baháʼí community.[1][2]
