Al-Abbas Mosque

The mosque or mausoleum of al-Abbas is a very complex huge complex. The mosque itself (or the mausoleum), where Abbas ibn Ali is buried, is in the center of the complex. It has one large gilded dome , as well as two gilded high minarets . There are also 16 small domes on the roof of the mosque. Above the gilded grave of Abbas ibn Ali is Zarikh - a specific lattice fence. The architectural appearance of the mosque is fully consistent with Islamic architecture , with obvious elements of Persian architecture of the Safavids and Timurids .

The building of the mausoleum is surrounded by a large courtyard surrounded by massive buildings with several floors, which are also part of the mosque and the complex. In these buildings there are prayer halls, museums, places for pilgrims, auxiliary outbuildings and the like rooms and premises ^[2] .

On October 10, 680 AD, Abbas ibn Ali , one of the tragically killed ( martyrs ) during the battle in Karbala , who was one of the associates and half-brothers of Imam Hussein , was buried in the place where this mosque is now located. Subsequently, a small mosque appeared on the site of the grave, where Shiite pilgrims came every year during Arbain ^[2] . In 1622, the Shah of the Safavid Empire , Shah Abbas I the Great, repaired and decorated the dome of the mosque, erected glass fences around the grave of Abbas ibn Ali, ennobled the courtyard and premises of the mosque, built additional outbuildings and rooms, and brought Persian rugs from Isfahan ^{[3] [ 4]} . It was during the rule of the Safavid dynasty that Shiite Islam became the state religion in Iran (then the Safavid Empire of Iran ), and Shiite Islam finally supplanted Sunni Islam in the territory of the Safavid empire, which included the territories of today's Iran , Azerbaijan , Armenia , half of Iraq , southern Dagestan , parts of eastern and southern Georgia , parts of eastern Turkey , part of Turkmenistan , Afghanistan and Pakistan .

In 1703, Nadir Shah , the Shah of the Afsharids Empire , which replaced the Safavid Empire, additionally arranged for the restoration and improvement of the mosque, adding decorations on the walls. Two years later, in 1705, Nadir Shah partially renovated the mosque, updated the fences around the grave, and installed a glass chandelier . It was during the reign of the Safavid and Afsharids dynasties that the main appearance of the mosque was formed. The construction and improvement of the mosque was mainly attended by invited masters from Khorasan ^[5] .

In 1801, the mosque was damaged during the attack on the Karbala Wahhabis . She was robbed and damaged by them, and most of the jewelry of the mosque was taken away. In 1817, Feth Ali Shah , a shah from the Qajar dynasty that began to rule Iran, restored the dome of the mosque, installed new chandeliers instead of stolen ones, re-decorated the mosque with jewelry, and also built several outbuildings. In 1936, the then keeper (caretaker) of the mosque, Said Murtadha, restored the so-called silver gate of the so-called golden corridor, which leads to the grave of Abbas ibn Ali.

In 2012, a large-scale reconstruction began in the Al-Abbas mosque. As part of the reconstruction, a roof was built covering part of the courtyard of the mosque, for the convenience of worshipers and pilgrims. The walls of the courtyard surrounding the mosque were also rebuilt, and the wall was turned into a multi-storey building, which housed museums, offices, and additional prayer halls. A huge parking lot was also built, including underground parking for several thousand cars. The dome and minarets of the mosque were re-gilded, the mosque itself was further improved. All this was done due to the sharp increase in the number of pilgrims in recent years. This was due, inter alia, to the advent of relative peace in the central and southern regions of Iraq, on the territory of which military operations were minimized and concentrated only in the north of the country.

In October 2014, regular work began to improve the mosque, during which additional facilities and buildings were built for the convenience of pilgrims, the number of which is increasing every year. Underground passages and rooms were built where pilgrims could be accommodated. As a result of these large-scale works, the mosque and the entire mosque complex became more convenient for pilgrims, as well as safer, since the foundation of all buildings was strengthened and the long-term problem with the Euphrates underwater waters that threatened the complex was eliminated. In April 2016, Zarikh was replaced over the grave of Abbas ibn Ali, which was installed in 1964 .

The mosque was attacked many times in one form or another. In March 1991, the mosque suffered significant damage during the Shiite uprising in Iraq after the Persian Gulf War and the defeat of Iraq in this war. In 1994, a complete reconstruction and repair work in the mosque was completed. In 2003 - 2011, large-scale military operations took place in Iraq , which since 2011 have grown into a civil war , which continues to languish to this day.

March 2, 2004 during Ashura , a series of explosions occurred in several parts of Karbala , arranged by al-Qaeda . As a result of this terrorist act, 85 to 178 people died (according to various sources), 100 to 500 people were injured and injured (also according to various sources). On January 5, 2006, a series of explosions occurred in Karbala and neighboring Ramadi . In Karbala, suicide bombers blew themselves up among the crowd near the shrines of the city. 60 people were killed, more than 100 people were injured. On April 28, 2007, another terrorist attack occurred, this time next to the Al-Abbas Mosque, resulting in 68 deaths and more than 160 people injured. On September 11, 2008, another terrorist act also took place near this mosque, as a result of which one person died and only a few were injured.

• Al Abbas Mosque on Google.Maps