By Syed Nissar H Gilani

​One of my favourite hobbies is travelling. It offers an unparalleled amount of exposure, a chance to land in a foreign country and gather immense knowledge about its culture and heritage.

​This year, Iraq was on my bucket list. I made the trip early this year with a group of well-wishers and friends. Twelve days wasn't long enough to truly know the country, but it was sufficient to radically change the images once conjured in my mind when I heard the name Karbala during my childhood.

​Our route covered Baghdad, the resting place of“Peeran Peer” Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani (R.A.). Next was Najaf, renowned as the burial site of Hazrat Ali Ibn Abi Talib (K.W.). The city has grown significantly and has remained a center of pilgrimage for centuries. The Imam Ali mosque is housed in a magnificent structure with a gold-gilded dome. Nearby is the Wadi-as-Salaam graveyard, believed to be the largest in the Islamic world, containing the tombs of several prophets.

Over time, many hospices, schools, libraries, modern multi-story commercial malls, and luxury hotels have sprung up. Najaf looks neater and cleaner than the capital, Baghdad. I was happy to see the Islamic University, established in 2004, offering a wide range of departments, alongside many other universities providing scientific and humanities faculties.

​As of now, Kufa and Najaf are joined into a single urban administrative unit, with a road distance of only 12 kilometers. Kufa has many top attractions. During our two-day stay, we visited the Great Mosque of Kufa, constructed in the middle of the 7th century. The city itself was founded in 638 (17 Hijrah) during the reign of the second Caliph, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, and in 656, Ali Ibn Abu Talib (K.W.) made Kufa his capital.

​The Grand Mosque of Kufa was the place where Hazrat Ali Ibn Talib (K.W.) was critically wounded and martyred. It is very calm and architecturally beautiful. Visitors can see the humble house of Imam Ali (A.S.) where he resided while ruling the Islamic empire. Adjacent to this is the site of his nephew, Muslim bin Aqeel (R.A.). As the ambassador and cousin of Imam Hussain (A.S.), he was deputed to Kufa to ascertain the veracity of the thousands of letters written by its residents before the tragic event of Karbala.

Kufa has many more significant historic places, such as the Al-Sahlah Mosque, beautifully decorated with panoramic landscape.

​The next day we headed to Karbala, the epicenter of the tragedy, which is just 76 kilometers and an hour's drive from Najaf. Our travel guide, Moulana Arif, a highly knowledgeable and professional young man from U.P. in his late thirties, insisted we don't miss the golden opportunity to see other historic places en route. We agreed in unison and were glad to visit the city of Hillah, founded in the 12th century on the west bank.

Here lies the tomb of Nabi Ayoub (A.S.) on the Shatt al-Hillah, a branch of the Euphrates River (Al-Furat). Not far away, in the hills of Al-Hillah, is Qasr-i-Namrood, a deserted castle near the shrine of Nabi Ayoub (A.S.).

​Finally, after a full day's tour, we reached Karbala.

The city's atmosphere is spiritually distinct from the others. The Shrine of Imam Hussain (A.S.) is covered with a golden net. The golden-domed Shrine of Hazrat Abbas (A.S.), the brother of Hussain (A.S.) who was also martyred on the day of Ashura, is located nearby, opposite the Imam Hussain shrine.

​Two days later, we proceeded to Baghdad in a luxurious Japanese coach, covering a distance of 124 kilometers. En route, we passed through Al-Madain town, where the Tomb of Salman al-Farsi (R.A.), a companion of the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) and the first Persian to convert to Islam, is located. I was disappointed to observe that his Shrine was not very well maintained.

​After a few hours of driving with halts, we arrived in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. Founded in 762 as the capital of the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, for five centuries it was the most significant cultural center of Arab and Islamic civilization and one of the greatest cities of the world.

​Sadly, Baghdad was heavily damaged by carpet bombing during the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991), resulting in serious damage to its civilian infrastructure, economy, and cultural inheritance. The war and unrest, including looting and arson, almost repeated what Hulagu Khan had done when he captured, sacked, and burned Baghdad in 1258.

​Today, Baghdad, once famous for its Arabian Nights tales, is sadly in a terrible state of decay due to poor governance, a rapid rise in population, sanctions, and corruption. Repeated cycles of destruction and reconstruction have left little of its ancient heritage intact.​

Azam Dastageer” Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani Hassan-o-Wal Hussaini (R.A.). Its surrounding square is named Kilani Square.

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