Cultural aspects in Christian and Islamic religions - unesdoc - Unesco

Holy ‘Atabat
The shrines of the Infallible Imams – members of
the Family of the Prophet (PBUH) for Shiites, or
their children – are known as Holy ‘atabat. They
are found in several countries. In Iraq for instance,
there is the shrine of Imam Ali (A.S.) in Najaf; the
shrine of Imam Husayn (A.S.) and his brother
‘Abbas as well as other martyrs in Karbala’. In Iran
there is the shrine of Imam Reza (A.S.) in Mashhad,
and the shrine of the sister of Imam Riza (A.S.) in
Qumm. In Syria there is the shrine of al-Sayyidah
Zaynab (A.S.) the sister of Imam Husayn (A.S.).
In addition, there is one shrine in Egypt, said to
be that of al-Sayyidah Zaynab (A.S.). There used
to be other shrines in Medina; they have been
destroyed and there remains the shrine of the
Prophet (PBUH) in the Prophet’s Mosque.
Shiites visit these shrines to perform prayer and
du’a’ since they see these people as holy, because
of their close ties to God, the fact that they call
people to Him, linking people to Him, and being
faithful in their worship to Him (S.W.T.).
The shrine of Imam Ali
(A.S.) in Najaf, Iraq.
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