🕌 Al-Askari Shrine
Iraq
About This Sacred Site
The Al-Askari Shrine in Samarra is one of the most important Shia shrines, containing the tombs of the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams, Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari. It is also associated with the twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is believed to have gone into occultation here. The shrine's golden dome, destroyed by bombings in 2006, has since been rebuilt. The 2006 attack on the shrine was one of the most significant events of the Iraq War, triggering widespread sectarian conflict.
Key Facts
- •Houses the tombs of the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams
- •Associated with the occultation of the twelfth Imam
- •The golden dome was destroyed by a bombing in 2006
- •The 2006 bombing triggered major sectarian violence in Iraq
- •The dome has been fully reconstructed
Location
Coordinates: 34.1983, 43.8733
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