The most important monument in Damascus (دمشق), and perhaps the entire country, is the magnificent Umayyad Mosque (الجامع الاموي). No single historic site symbolizes the rich and varied cultural heritage of Syria as does this remarkable mosque. It has served as a place of worship continuously for several millennia, a holy place for over a thousand years even prior to the arrival of Islam. While …
One of the most important Shia pilgrimage sites in Syria is the fascinating al-Seida Raqiyeh Mosque (جامع السيدة رقية). This modern, Iranian-style mosque receives a constant stream of pilgrims, mostly from Iraq and Iran, to visit the tomb of Raqiyeh (رقية). Raqiyeh (رقية) was the daughter of Hussein (حسين), the granddaughter of Ali (علي), and the great granddaughter of Mohammed (محمد). She was an infant …
Mashhad al-Saqat (مشهد السقط), located on the eastern slope of Jebel Joushan (جبل جوشن) in the west of Aleppo (حلب), is an important Shia shrine and place of pilgrimage. According to tradition, as the prisoners of the Battle of Karbala (Iraq) were being transported through Aleppo, one of the wives of Hussein had a miscarriage. The deceased child was named Muhasin and buried at this …
al-Naqteh Mosque (مسجد النقطة), located on the eastern slope of Jebel Joushan (جبل جوشن) in the west of Aleppo (حلب), is an important Shia shrine and place of pilgrimage. The shrine contains a stone that, according to tradition, caught drops of blood from the head of Hussein. The son of Ali and grandson of Mohammed, Hussein was killed in the Battle of Karbala (Iraq), and …
