November 07, 2013
Discover : Cairo * Kadhmain * Najaf * Kufa * Karbala * Sammarah,
Includes:
- International Flights
- All Transfers using a private A/c vehicl
- Accommodation of 9 Nights with all Meals
- Services of an English speaking Rahbar
- Support Documentation for obtaining Visa
Ziyarat is an Arabic term which literally means "visit", and is used to refer to a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants (including the Shia Imams), his companions, or other venerated figures in Islam, such as the prophets, Sufi saints and Islamic scholars. Sites of pilgrimage include mosques, graves, battlefields, mountains, and caves.
On this Journey of Faith, you would be visiting some of holiest places for Shia Islam, after Mecca & Medina.
You will arrive in Najaf, the site of the Imam Ali Mosque and the shrine of Ali located here is the third holiest in the world for Shi'a Muslims The gold-plated mosque shelters the tomb of Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad who is revered as a martyr and a saint by Shias. Najaf has been an important place of pilgrimage for Shi'ites since Ali's death in 661 AD and is a center of Shi'a religious learning. In the 20th century, the latter role has shifted more to Qom in Iran. Many Shi'a bring their dead to the tomb of Ali, carrying the coffin around the sarcophagus before burial.
On a full day excursion to Kufa, one of the five Iraqi cities that are of great importance to Shia Muslims, visit the Great Mosque of Kufa, one of the earliest mosques in Islam, built in the 7th century and pray at the Tombs of Muslem Ibn Aqeel, Imam Husayn. You will also see the house of Imam Ali and the Mausoleum of Sayyida Khadijatul Sughra daughter of Imam Ali - outside Masjid Kufa and other holy sites.
Then we move on to Karbala, the site of the Shrine of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a much-revered Shia martyr. It is also home to the Shrine of Abbas, Husayn's loyal half-brother.
Devotion to Imam Husayn focuses almost exclusively on his death as the symbol of redemptive suffering and liberation. Laments, dirges, public expressions of grief and reenactments of his murder are major parts of the pilgrimage to Karbala. Visit the parallel Shrine of Hadrat Abbas, Husayn's loyal half-brother who died with him in the Battle of Karbala. You will also visit al-Makhayam, the traditional location of Hussayn's camp. Here, the martyrdom of Hussayn and his followers is publicly commemorated.
We spend 5 days in Karbala, visiting the various Shrines and spending our time in prayer & contemplation.
The Journey ends when you are transferred to Baghdad airport for your onward flight to Canada.
