Iraq's unique Islamic Shi'a shrines explained

Najaf: Ali Bin abi Taleb Shrine is the third holiest for the Shi'a (or Shiite) Islam after Mecca and Medina. It is followed by the Mosques in nearby Karbala where Ali's younger son Hussein and family were massacred by the Omayyad in the battle of Karbala in 680 AD

Iraq has been at the very center of the world news scene for all the wrong reasons. An artificial war in a country with artificially drawn borders by colonial powers. The land of Iraq is as historic as it gets and very few spots on earth can claim so much credit in the development of Human History and Civilization. The fertile lowland is richly watered by the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, and the "land between the rivers" is what was called Mesopotamia. Assyria, Babylon, Nineveh, Ur, Sumer are all household names of the past, but few realize that since the 7th century Iraq has always taken a center stage in all the events shaping the early days of Islam as a religion and as an empire. This is why Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf, Kufa and Samarra are hugely important.  Islam was shaped in the Arabian Peninsula but it was in Iraq that major events took place and shaped the Muslim world in the 7th century and on.

Little has changed since since these early days and Iraq is still the dangerous fault line that has shaped Arab and Islam cultures for two main distinctive reasons:

Iraq is the easternmost "frontier" of the Arabic world , east of which Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan etc. are mostly Muslim but not Arab, while the north is mostly Turkic and historically Armenian. Iraq also represents the tricky "fault line" and bloody rivalry between the Sunni and the Shi'a branches of Islam. Sunnis or "mainstream" Muslims may well represent around 80% of Islam, but in Iraq the Arab Shi'a form a clear majority and interestingly share that belief with their neighboring Iranians. Since colonial times and until the Saddam era the minority Sunnis were in firm control of the country, but George W. Bush put the Shi'a in the driving seat in Baghdad. This Shi'a led government does not bode well with most of the Sunni governments from Saudi Arabia to Egypt and beyond (see the map below).

Sunni-Shi'a schism: The Islamic world is predominantly of the Sunni sect divided into 4 major legal traditions. The population in Persian Gulf region are often Sh'ia, mostly Itna'ashari "Twelvers". Globally, the Shi'a account for an estimated 15-20 percent of the Muslim population, but they dominate the population of Iran, compose a majority in Iraq, and are significant minorities in other nations, including Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Syria.  (C.I.A. World Fact book and Operation Reveille Map).

 

 Institutional development of Islam: The first four "Rashidun" Caliphs after Muhammad and the subsequent split between the Sunnis (following Omayyad) and the Shi'a (following Ali Bin Abi Taleb and sons Hassan and Hussein) (Operation Reveille chart)

But how come Iraq is so different from most of its Arab neighbors and has a Shi'a Arab majority? And how come all the major Shi'a shrines are all in Iraq? The answers are of course embedded in history. We shall try to explain the circumstances and present the major shrines within the Iraq and their significance.

Upon the Death of Prophet Muhammad (632 AD), the Muslim leadership was confronted with major headaches, plots and imbroglio regarding the succession to the Caliph role. By all accounts, Mohamed was an absolute genius: Not only he founded a new and major monotheistic religion but he also created a very successful military and political entity that grew from nothing to a majestic empire within a few decades. Muhammad was a unique personality and choosing a successor naturally proved to be very difficult, divisive and a bloody affair that unfortunately continues to this day. Any Caliph succeeding Mohamed had to be the real leader of the mushrooming Empire and religion, having all the powers held by Mohamed himself except the Prophecy. But choosing the successors proved catastrophic for the unity of the ranks.

Still hurting after all these years: Tears for the Shi'a Imam Hussein martyrdom in Karbala (680 AD). The bandanna reads "Allah and Hussein", while green is seen as the color of Islam. These kind of "populist" posters seem to be less widespread in Sunni societies.

The first four Rashidun (righteously guided) Caliphs that succeeded Muhammad were: 

-Abu Bakr As Siddiq: (632-634 A.D: Mohamed's father in law, expanded the Muslim empire to Syria and Iraq and confronted the Byzantines and the Persian Sassanids. He consolidated the Koran. He died of illness. Shi'a do not hold him in high esteem because he was chosen over Ali despite all his incredible credentials and qualities.
-Umar ibn al Khattab (634-644 A.D.): Expanded the Muslim Empire by ruling over Sassanid Persia and to modern Libya. He was  a great political and military leader but almost hated by the Shia for his fierce opposition to Ali. Umar was decisive and even could afford to dismiss the Arab military genius Khalid bin Waleed who had spearheaded most of the military expansion of the new empire without ever being defeated. Umar was assassinated by the a Persian while praying in Medina.

Uthman Ibn Affan, Third Caliph, a hate figure for the Shi'a because of his supposed fierce opposition to Ali and his Omayyad lineage.

-Uthman ibn Affan (644-656 A.D.)Married to Muhammad's daughter Ruqayya, he was a member of the Omayyad clan and reputedly the Fourth person to convert to Islam. Under his reign the Muslim empire reached all the way to Morocco and Afghanistan. He was assassinated in Medina and buried in the famous Jannat al Baqi cemetery destroyed by the Saudis (see details below)

-Ali ibn abi Taleb (656-661 A.D.). Fourth caliph for the Sunni but first imam for the Shi'a.  He too was an exceptional man, married to Muhammad's daughter Fatima al-Zahra from his first wife Khadija and his father was an uncle to the Prophet. Ali is considered as the first person to have converted to the new religion revealed my his uncle and he was also reputedly the only person being born in the Holy Ka'aba in Mecca (which was a pagan shrine at the time).  Ali was a great narrator and military leader. Ali’s appointment as Caliph accelerated the internal struggles and caused a civil war and a major schism in Islam. Ali was challenged on multiple fronts and fought several battles against his rivals within the Muslim hierarchy. He was finally assassinated by his enemies in 658 in Kufa and his murder brought to end what was known as the era of the “righteously guided caliphs”. Ali’s supporters accepted his son Hassan (and later his other son Hussein) as caliph, however the majority rallied behind Ali’s opponent Abi Sufyan, a kinsman of Uthman who founded the Omayyad dynasty in Damascus.
 

Ali's legendary double edged sword called the Zulficar Ali. (Note that Pakistan's ex-prime minister and Benazir's father was named Zulficar Ali.) This is a replica sword sold as an expensive gift for those who can afford the extra protection it provides!

It is to note that the first four Caliphs were very close friends and relatives of the Prophet and they were chosen by a collegial decisions or consensus based on "merit" and value. However this system was rejected by the followers of Ali bin abi Taleb who felt that Ali must have been the automatic and obvious choice to succeed his Father-in-Law and Cousin Muhammad.  Ali did not openly fight the nomination of the preceding three Caliphs and waited for his turn, but he was obviously irritated and rejected the notion of "consensus". For Ali and his followers the Prophet's family ties were overwhelming and therefore other means or criteria to choose  successors were simply invalid. Shi'a firmly believe that Ali and all his descendants (known collectively as the Ahlul Bayt, or the Household) must have had absolute priority to rule as Caliphs. But it was not to be.

Shi'a Islam has several branches, the largest of which is the "Twelvers", and they share a lot with the Sunnis but disagree as far as legal opinions, texts and Words attributed to the Prophet etc. Other groups of Shi'a exist as well such as the "Ismai'li" and the "Zaidi", who in their turn disagree with the Twelvers over lines of successors and the lineage of Imams following Ali.

The Twelve Imams of the Shi'a, With Ali, Hassan Hussein and the 9 others. The last disappeared Imam's face is covered at the far left. Other Shi'a sects like the Ismailis or Zaidis believe in different lines of successors to those of  the "Twelvers".

Shi'a Imams: Likenesses of Ali bin abi Taleb and his son Hussein.

The death of Ali did ot put an end to the ugly infighting. Ali's son Hussein had participated in his father's effort to succeed Muhammad and when his father died his older brother Hassan and another claimant, Muawiyah, fought for Ali's position. Muawiyah reinforced his position as a leader when Hassan abdicated and agreed to go on a forced retirement to Medina, and Hussein did not object. However, when Muawiyah sought to name his son Yazid as his successor, which would create the Omayyad dynasty, Hussein became the leader of an anti-Yazid movement and left Mecca for Kufa. While stopped at Karbala, 4,000 men from Yazid's army arrived, cut off Hussein's access to water and food, and ordered him to acknowledge Yazid's authority. Hussein and 72 followers refused and were massacred. Hussein's head was taken to Damascus to be displayed before Yazid (680 AD).  

Only Hussein’s ill son Ali ibn Hussein (a.k.a. Zayn al-‘Abidīn) survived of the Imam’s male relatives and companions. His sister, Sayyida Zaynab, and his daughters were among the survivors of his band. They were all taken back in chains to Damascus in Syria, the stronghold and capital of Omayyad power of Mu'awiya. The victims were were buried in Karbala. The shrine was erected over the graves,  and since then the Shia celebrate Ashura, the annual holiday marking the anniversary of Hussein's death.

Sufi orders like these whirling dervishes can be both Sunni or Shi'a in essence, but most of them trace their origin to Ali bin abi Taleb as their original spiritual guide on top of their original teacher like Jajal-ul-din Rumi of the Mawlawiya sufi mystics order  (Photo imageshack/skyscrapercity.com)

After consolidating their power, the Omayyad completely transferred the power center of the Muslim Empire from Mecca to Damascus and continued what is now known as the Sunni Islam lineage. The followers of Ali and his sons Hassan and Hussein and the subsequent Mahdi (Shi'a) were left in the minority and militarily beaten, but continued to believe in the justness of their their struggle. Therefore the Ali lineage continued through his sons Hassan and Hussein and 9 other Imams until the "disappearance" of the twelfth Imam called Al-Mahdi from the Iraqi city of  Samarra. The disappeared Imam is expected to come back. It is obvious that the Iraqi territory was the theater of the major schism that occurred between the early Muslim factions and therefore it is easy to understand why all the major Shi'a shrines are situated in Iraq or in Syria where the family members of the Karbala massacre were taken after Hussein's death. 

Most of the population are Muslim Arabs, divided into the Sunni Muslim of central Iraq and Shi'a Muslim  of the south. The Kurds inhabit the north along with some Turkomans and Yazidis, mostly in rural areas as well as around 2 million Christians live in Iraq, mostly Chaldean and Assyrian. Arabic is the official language in most of the country, Kurdish is official in northern sections. (Salaam.co.uk)

Najaf and Kufa:

Najaf is understandably the most important Shi'a city as the site of the tomb of Ali Bin abi Taleb (first Imam of the Shi'a and fourth of the Caliphs). Therefore Najaf has an unparalleled importance to the hundreds of millions of Muslims and Shia in particular. 
After the assassination of the third Caliph Uthman,  Ali ibn abi Taleb was finally chosen as the fourth Caliph until he was assassinated as a result of all the internal struggles and intrigues in  Kufa. Ali was finally was buried in nearby Najaf where his Mosque and shrine stand today.
Najaf is where his political power center was and he we was assassinated in the twin city Kufa.
Najaf receives millions of pilgrims from around the world and many elderly people go there and await death and to be buried in the As-Salaam cemetery as an ultimate dedication to Ali. Both Najaf and Karbala are believed to be Gates to Heaven. Najaf cemetery is thought to be the largest in the world with more than an estimated 5 million burials.



As the most important Shi'a shrine, Najaf has always been the site of attacks by Sunnis throughout the ages and also was the center of a large armed uprising against the U.S. led coalition forces. Since the fall of Saddam, Najaf has reclaimed its position as the most important theological learning center in Shi'a Islam. The father of the Iranian Islamic revolution Ayatollah Khomeini spent 14 years in exile in Najaf before his triumphant return to Iran after deposing the Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi Shah in 1979.

Najaf: Ali bin abi Taleb shrine inside the Mosque, the third holiest for the Shi'a after Mecca and Medina.

Najaf: Imam Ali Bin abi Taleb Mosque. He was assassinated in the nearby city of Kufa by rivals. He is considered the first Imam by the Shi'a and the fourth Caliph by the Sunnis.

Najaf: Wadi al-Salaam Cemetery, the world's largest with more than 5 million burials: Iraqi Shi'a pilgrims march through this cemetery in Najaf, Iraq, on their way to Karbala with Imam Hussein flags. Shi'a make their annual pilgrimage to Karbala to mark the end of 40 days of mourning following the anniversary of the seventh century death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohamed and son of Ali. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)

Karbala:

The battle of Karbala occurred on October 10, 680 AD when the Omayyad Yazid ibn Muawiya massacred Ali’s son Hussein and 72 of his family and companions. The city has since been central to The Shi'a sect. The modern city of Karbala includes the Mosques dedicated to Imam Hussein (the Third Imam of the Shi'a) as well as the mosque in honor of his brother Abbas ibn Ali. The two mosques are very close and linked with a large public space. Karbala is therefore the fourth holiest site for the Shi'a after mecca, Medina and Najaf, where millions of pilgrims converge to the city for the commemoration of the battle during the Ashura (see photos below). Many hope to die and get buried right there and not return home!

Karbala, Imam Hussein Shrine:  Free for the first time in decades to worship openly, these exhausted Shi'a Muslim pilgrims crawl into the shrine. The Shi'a were powerless under Saddam and predominately poor, but now find themselves major players on the world stage often at odds with the U.S.A. They are  a diverse people who's beliefs range from the radical to the progressive. (photo/caption Mattmoyer.com)

Karbala of course has been an alien "concept" and philosophy to some Sunnis, and these shrines have been so many times destroyed and rebuilt. In 1802 the Sunni Wahhabi (forefathers of modern Saudi Arabia) attacked the city and demolished everything they could, trying to wipe out the Shi'a sacred shrines. Radical Sunnis consider Shi'a not much more than shameless heretics and enemies of "true Islam" as they understand it. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, Karbala did find a revival of Shi'a religious traditions and expressions, but the Sunni al-Qaeda linked zealot groups carried deadly bomb attacks against the pilgrims in 2004 and 2007, killing dozens of innocents. Karbala has also been the scene of armed uprisings against the US led forces occupying Iraq.

Karbala: Imam Hussein Shrine: millions of Shi'a across the region mark the climax of the 10-day Ashura rites mourning Imam Hussein's slaying in 680 A.D., entrenching the deep schism between the Shi'a followers and the majority Sunnis. These Shia rites have often been the target of attacks by Sunni militants consider the Shi'a some kind of heretics. Ashura was severely curtailed under (Sunni)  Saddam Hussein, but has seen a revival since the country was occupied by a U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Millions converge to the Shi'a holy city of Karbala. The other adjacent mosque is the Abbas ibn Ali Mosque, brother of Hussein.

Tehran: Karbalai'ya mosque during the Ashura rites. In a sign of mourning during Ashura, many Shi'a beat their chests to the sound of drums and religious chants, or flagellate themselves, often drawing blood in remembrance to Hussein's and his family's bloody end.

South Lebanon: Ashura in the city of Nabatiyeh under the watchful eyes of the regular Lebanese Army units. Most of these young men are followers of either Hezbollah or the other major Shi'a movement called Amal (Hope).

Zealots at work:A wounded Shi'a boy in Baghdad relies on Imam Hussein for speedy recovery after an attack on the pilgrims heading to Karbala (Photo: MSNBC). Attacks by Sunnis against Shi'a worshipers and the shrines have become kind of "normal" 

Samarra:

After Najaf and Karbala, the Iraqi city of Samarra has a very important Shi'a mosque built in 944. This mosque has the remains of the 10th and 11th Imams, namely Ali al Hadi and his son Hassan Al Askari,. hence the name of the mosque Al Askari. Samarra today is in a Sunni dominated area in Iraq and this mosque has been the target of very heavy attacks and bombings in 2006 and 2007 by Sunni extremist groups, almost totally destroying the golden dome and the minarets as well as the clock tower. Intolerance of extreme proportions. The last Imam is said to have "disappeared" from a nearby location and expected back.

Samarra: The Askari shrine before and after the deadly attacks by Sunni zealots to wipe out any "unacceptable" Shi'a influence or presence in the region.

Samarra: The unique architectural jewel Abbasid era mosque and the spiral snail shell like minaret (about 850 AD). It is said to be too high to be used as a true minaret!

Medina:

Medina: The Prophet's tomb and mosque (Masjid al-Nabawi) taken from Jannat al-Baqi cemetery. The total destruction of this cemetery to the rubble was done in 1920's by the Wahhabi who took control of the Holy City and founded Saudi Arabia. It was done in the name of extreme Monotheism banning all worship of human shrines. Many of Prophet Mohamed's closest relatives and companions were buried there. The deliberate destruction of the cemetery is particularly offensive to Shi'a who consider it to be an act of "barbarism" by the Saudis. Shi'a pilgrims occasionally stage improvised protests at the site despite heavy Saudi police crackdown (Photo: Flickr Chinx786).

Jannat al-Baqi cemetery before being demolished by King Al-Saud in 1925. The graves of 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th Shi'a Imams and scores of Mohamed's family and companions are buried here. These structures are totally demolished to a huge sand field as in the picture above.

The Jannat al-Baqi cemetery next to the Prophet Mohamed Mosque in Medina is of extreme importance to Shi'a. It was totally razed by the Wahhabi Saudis in the 1920. It contains the tombs of no less than 5 of the Twelver Shiite imams, including Ali’s eldest son Imam Hassan, Ali ibn Hussein (Imam Hussein’s son) and Fatima bint Assad (the mother of Ali). The destruction of the cemetery was done in the name of total ban for any kind of worship of humans as opposed to the strict worship of Allah. It is said the the Wahhabi were very close in destroying even Mohamed’s tomb by the same logic of forbidding idolatry of humans. The cemetery of Jannatul Mu’alla in Mecca is also held in very high esteem but is less "prestigious" than al-Baqi.

Baghdad: Kadhimiya mosque

Baghdad:The Kadhimiya mosque, with streets overflowing with pilgrims and traditional celebrations of a Shi'a commemoration. This mosque is the most important Shi'a shrine in Baghdad and is believed to have the remains of Imam Mussa al Kadhim, the seventh Imam of the Twelver Shi'a.

After Mecca, Medina and the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, the Shi'a hold Najaf /Kufa and Karbala as their holiest places along with Samarra and the Kadhimiya in Baghdad.

Here are other very important shrines to Shi'a Islam, some also very important to all Muslims regardless of sect or denomination:

Damascus: Sayyidat Zaynab Mosque

Damascus: Sayyidat Zaynab Mosque Damascus has wonderful Iranian Kashani decorations. The dome, and the hanging chandeliers, stand on top of the shrine where her body is believed to rest. The decoration, ceramics and ceilings using mirrors are influenced by Iranian Safavid architecture.(Photo: Yasser el Bahadli).

Damascus: Sayyidah Ruqayya Mosque

Damascus: "Ruqayya" mosque, dedicated to Imam Hussein's daughter Sayiddah Ruqayya (photo: soggysyrial.com).

Mashhad (Iran): Imam Reza Shrine

Mashhad, Iran: The shrine was built on the site where Imam Reza died in 818 AD. He was the 8-th Shi'a Imam born in Medina in 765 AD. At the age of 51 he was surprisingly "appointed" by the Abbasid Caliph Mamun (a Sunni) to become his successor as the next caliph and gave him his daughter in marriage. Mamun's actions disturbed the rival Sunnis and several violent uprisings ensued. Reza's sudden death aroused suspicions among Shi'a who believed Mamun had poisoned him to avoid unrest. Millions visit Mashhad every year.  

Mazar e-Sharif  (Afghanistan): Imam Ali shrine

Afghanistan: In an a bizarre but interesting twist, some Muslims believe that the site of the tomb of Imam Ali  ibn abi Taleb is not in Najaf but in... the Afghan city of of  Mazar-e Sharif. This was supposedly "revealed" by the sixth Twelver Shi'a Imam Jaafar al-Sadiq, but is not shared by the majority Twelver Shi'a. Nonetheless, millions go there on Pilgrimage. It is also speculated under this fabulous Blue Mosque lies Zoroaster's tomb.

Krikor Tersakian, April 2010

Symphony of Stones: from Garni Gorge to Giant's Causeway

Part I: The Garni Gorge and Giant's Causeway: Two unique sites of Basalt Symphony. 

Part II: The incredible Story of the Girona Spanish Armada warship wrecked in 1588 AD near Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland; The death of 1300 people on board and the recovery of its treasures.

Part III: The Hellenistic Garni Temple complex watching over the unique Garni Gorge near Yerevan, Armenia 

Part I: The Garni Gorge and Giant's Causeway: distant cousins but part of the same Basalt Symphony

Northern Ireland's Giant Causeway, circa 1890 AD. The scenery of course is unchanged today. One century is the equivalent of just one minute for these 50 million years old natural wonders. 40,000 columnar rocks make the Causeway one of the most amazing natural sites on earth, yet it was almost unknown until the 18th century!

The amazing fact about Northern Ireland's most popular tourist attraction is that it was almost unknown to the world and even to most Britons as late as 1730 AD.  The Giant's Causeway today is a world renowned miles long natural miracle, but the site was strangely overlooked or simply misunderstood for centuries. Very few knew about its existence just 50 miles from Belfast in the County Antrim near the village Bushmills (famous for its Irish Whiskey distillery). Even fewer people seemed to care enough to inquire about or plan a visit to the Causeway. Some had seen sketches of the site, but the sheer size and beauty of the Causeway was still under a dark blanket of ignorance.

It is believed that it was only after a talented visitor painted some realistic sketches of the site and exposed them to a wider public in Dublin, that a general interest started to grow first in Britain and slowly across the Continent. Exactly how these wonderful various polygon shaped columns remained almost unknown is an enigma in itself. More than 40,000 almost perfect natural sculptures just across the sea from Scotland or from Liverpool and yet unknown to most of Europe and the rest of the World...

The symphony of Stones, First Movement: The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland (Photo: Fabian Belza San)


Giant's Causeway  is a natural geological wonder of volcanic basalt columns of various sizes and sheer cliffs created an estimated 50 million years ago as the area was rich in various volcanic eruptions. The molten lava from the Antrim plateau cooled and formed these wonderful columns, some reaching more than 12m in height (30ft).  They are mostly hexagonal in shape, even though squares, pentagons, heptagons, octagons and other geometrical shapes are common. The site is just breathtaking and was included in the UNESCO World Heritage site list in 1986 as a "Rare and prime example of Earth's Evolutionary History". Moreover, the discovery of the wreck of the Spanish Armada galeass warship "Girona" in the nearby sea (with a large amount of the treasures and the 1300 victims that perished aboard in 1588) made the Giant's Causeway an even more famous destination with all due Celtic mysticism. (See Girona's story below, Part II)

Symphony of Stones, Second Movement: Garni Gorge in Armenia, just east of Yerevan.


The now World famous Giant's Causeway has also a lesser known cousin in distant Armenia, around 30 km east of the Capital Yerevan. The Garni (or Karni) Gorge is almost as mystical as its Irish cousin, but sits high in the mountains and not on a seaside location. The Gorge, thes wonderful basaltic polygon columns and the vertical cliffs are almost perfect, as if made by very talented human architects and artists working with play-dough. The Garni Gorge's unique location is even more unique by the perfectly restored 1st century Hellenistic temple and palace complex of Garni sitting just above the cliffs (see Garni Temple story below, Part III). Most visitors from around the world flock to the Garni temple and the UNESCO World Heritage site Geghard monastery complex and the upper Azat valley, only 7 km to the east. Both Keghart and Garni are therefore considered part of the one and same destination in the region called Gotayk (province), but unfortunately few take the time or have the knowledge, time or desire to visit the spectacular Garni Gorge. What a loss!

Descending to the Gorge and feeling the geological miracle casually called the "Symphony of Stones" is an adventure and a very unique destination in its own right. Few natural sites can offer that much grandeur and humbling simplicity. Giant's Causeway and Garni Gorge are in fact geological distant cousins, but part of the same majestic Basalt Symphony composed by the greatest Composers of all time: Mother Nature.

Garni Gorge in Armenia: The wonderful Organ Pipe basalt hexagon and pentagon columns as seen from behind the Hellenistic temple. Timeless Magic hanging from the air and a humbling experience to all visitors. (Photo: Tobotras)

Both Garni and Giant's Causeway are believed to be millions of years old formations, 50 million by most estimates.  The origins are of course volcanic eruptions, but what made these sites very unique was the particular cooling and solidifying processes of the boiling lava, which gave these almost perfect geometric forms and absurdly beautiful hanging columns. The rocks have multiple layers and show how the lava eventually solidified, shrunk and  formed these shapes over long periods of time. Volcanic basalt is not the hardest of rocks, and therefore millions of years have also resulted in erosion and weathering, giving both these sites a very unique look. The Giant's Causeway offers a wide variety of shapes and structures and some were given different names depending their shape or the morphology. Names such as the "Giant's Gate", "The Granny", "The Chimney" and most appropriately, the "Organ" or "Organ pipes" are among the most famous. As stated, in case of Garny Gorge, a well accepted popular name for the wonderful ensemble is "Symphony of Stones".

The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland (Photo: Mark Windsor)

Pipes of Peace: The wonderful Garni Gorge and the suspended pipe organ style mostly pentagonal and hexagonal basalt columns (photo: Grant Vahabedian)

The columnar basalts of the Garni and Giant’s causeway are not the only such sites in the world. Columnar and polygon shaped exposed basalt formation can be found in other corners of the world, such as in the Yellowstone national park or the Parana river or elsewhere in Asia. But few are as famous or accessible to the general public. In the case of Garni, the Hellenistic Temple complex and the nearby Keghart rock carved monastery make it a world class "must-see" destination anyway just a 45 minutes drive from Yerevan. Giant’s causeway can be easily reached from Belfast.


Who says Mother Nature is not a great musical composer or does not appreciate music? These supernatural natural Organ Pipes and their majestic surroundings are here to prove all doubters very wrong! 

  Nature's Organ Pipes...

Man-made Organ "Pipes of War" and "Pipes of Peace"...

Part II: Story of the Spanish Armada warship "Girona" sunk near the Giant's Causeway (1588 AD)



As stated above, one other major reason why Giant's Causeway was included in the UNESCO World Heritage site list had nothing to do with that unique site's geology. UNESCO considers the  site to also be of "outstanding cultural value" to the world because of the discovery of a Spanish military ship called the Girona (of the Spanish Armada) which was lost nearby in the aftermath of the Battle of the Gravelines in 1588. The Girona was sunk with 1300 victims aboard and loads of treasures while trying to make its way back to Spain after the disastrous campaign to invade England.

Some of the incredible treasures recovered from the Girona (Spanish Armada) wrecked in 1588 off the Giant's Causeway in North Antrim coast after the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The very precious and historical collection includes pieces ranging from bronze cannons to gold toothpicks, and from gold coins, religious medals and jewelery to leather boot soles. (Ulster museum, Northern Ireland)

The story of the Spanish Armada and the escape from the battle of Gravelines to the the North (Scotland and Ireland) was not a beautiful affair. It was one of the key naval battles in World history that shaped the Europe's balance of power thereafter. The Spanish Armada was the huge naval fleet assembled and sent under the Duke of Medina Sidonia by the catholic monarch of Spain Philippe II with the clear intention invading and conquering England, deposing his Protestant half sister in law Queen Elizabeth in favor of the Catholic cousin Mary, Queen of Scots. The other geopolitical and economical reasons of course were much more complex, but conquering or at least punishing England was the immediate goal of the Spanish Monarch. His Spanish Armada was to sail first to the Low Countries (which were under Spanish rule), join an allied army under the Duke of Parma and help suppress the anti spanish secessionist movements there. The next phase would have been to attack "protestant" England by occupying the Thames river estuary leading to London.

 The smaller English warships (left) chase the bigger, heavier and slower Spanish Armada galleons off Plymouth. The defeat of the Spanish Armada remains as the major event remembered of  Queen Elizabeth's reign: Spain, Europe's mightiest Catholic power of the time were humiliated by the "Protestant". Spain and England were at opposite sides, both  ideologically and commercially. England's support to rebellions in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands irritated Spain's empire and led to war.

 
The Vatican of course had thrown its full support behind the Spanish both morally and financially, hoping to fight these "heretic" Anglo-Saxon Protestants. The Pope and saw all these Spanish military schemes as a sort of a noble Crusade against the modern infidels. The lessons of the Crusades were hardly learned.

A seemingly magnificent fleet of 22 warships 108 militarized logistical merchant vessels was assembled and finally sailed north  from Lisbon (under Spanish occupation), through the English channel with the intention of joining forces with Alexander Farnese's (Duke of Parma) allied army, therefore orchestrating the final assault on England across the La Manche (English Channel).

The Armada was spotted early on off Plymouth, England and was gradually chased by the British Navy under the leadership of Charles Howard and Francis Drake. After initial standoffs and chases, the Spaniards finally reached Calais and anchored in a very tight defensive formation followed by the English. The ensuing battle near the town of the Gravelines, near the modern French city of Dunkirk was not decisive as such but it did enough to destabilize and disperse the Armada, initially breaking their battle ready formations.

The famous fire-ship attack by the English created panic at Gravilines did the trick. The Spanish Armada fearing for the worst, had no choice but to disperse, somehow trying to regroup and manage an organized retreat or escape back to Spanish controlled lands. This forced "withdrawal" was a total catastrophe as it had to be done in the wrong direction: The Spaniard sailed further North to the open Atlantic ocean past Scotland and Ireland instead of heading south to Spain. They had initially failed to meet Parma's forces, and now they were  facing the very heavy handed response of Mother nature in the Atlantic Ocean, trying to engineer an eventual return home sailing around the British Isles! It was a definite goodbye to any plans to attack London through the Thames river estuary and now it was a struggle to survive the hardships of being so far from the Motherland in uncharted waters for the Spanish.

Spanish ships, like most heavy warships of the day, were notoriously slow. Being so long at sea and more and more away from the Spanish territories, this fleet was bound to eventually encounter a storm. After having been defeated by the English  at Gravelines, at least twenty-three of the King of Spain’s ships “flying from the wind and their enemies,” were wrecked on the rocky coast of northwest Ireland. Fearing a Spanish alliance with the catholic Irish, orders were issued to execute Spaniards coming ashore and the English immediately hanged all they could catch. Some 6,194 of the crews were reported drowned, killed or captured. But most of the Gaelic chiefs showed hospitality to the Spaniards and helped to send as many as they could of them home, creating a bond and a debt from King Philip. Those dark haired, brown eyed Spanish sailors who elected to remain in Ireland, married Irish girls and their progeny became known as "The Black Irish."(Macdonnelloffleinster)

The return to Spain of the Armada after the initial heavy losses was always to be very difficult. The Armada suffered even heavier losses on the return odyssey than at the Gravelines battle itself. More than 65 ships were eventually destroyed and wrecked and an estimated 20,000 lost their lives as the unusually heavy storms put a tragic end to this campaign and Grand Folly. The Armada was technically undefeated on the battlefront, but was practically decimated by Mother Nature.

The warship Girona sank near the Giant's Causeway (Port na Spaniard) on the night of October 26, 1588. It was a Mediterranean style galleass, or an oared fighting ship. It was a vessel of hope for other survivors eager to make it back safely to Spain.The ship originally had a complement of 121 sailors and 186 soldiers. However, while anchored for repairs on the rudder at Killybegs, harbor, Donegal, she came across about 1000 other Spaniards, the remnants of two Armada ships that had run aground. Rather than stay in Ireland where they were in danger of being found by English soldiers on the look of for Spaniards, the galleass Girona took everybody on board and sail for then Catholic Scotland. There they could rest, repair the ship and then set sail for Spain.


With the damaged rudder fixed the Girona sailed from Killybegs to the open sea but the rudder was again damaged in extremely bad weather. With fierce winds blowing the ship towards the shore, the Spanish tried to keep her from grounding by rowing. However, on the midnight of October 28 it run aground off Lacada point, a few hundred feet west of the Giant's Causeway and sunk. Of the estimated 1300 persons on board, less than 10 survived.
Hundreds of bodies were washed ashore and some were buried on St. Cuthbert's cemetery in Dunluce not far from  the famous ruined castle, just west of Giant's Causeway.

The destruction of the galleass Girona is commemorated on the reverse side of banknotes printed by the First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland. Note the famous gold and ruby salamander recovered from the wreck in the lower right side (see also salamander picture below for more details).

The Girona had the young and brilliant soldier Don Alonso De Leiva aboard as commander, and had collected hundreds of survivors from various other Spanish wreck to make a final escape from the Northern Ireland sea back to Spain. The Girona had also collected a very considerable valuables and jewelery from the other wrecked ships. It sailed, but shortly after was blown onto the rocks and sunk near the Causeway. The 1300 people perished, and it is believed that fewer than 10 survived the tragedy. In any case, the Girona, like many other Armada warships, was doomed. It was initially designed for a maximum of 500 men and was definitely ill suited for any such expeditions and severe conditions outside the Mediterranean.

The symbol of the Girona:This beautiful salamander pendant, of gold set with rubies, reflects the grandeur of the Spanish empire. Gold and silver from the Spanish conquests in the Americas were a primary source of income for the empire. Large numbers of splendid native gold ornaments were melted down for bullion but the ideas of South American craftsmen were often retained. This may explain the fondness for jewels in the form of animals, which appeared during the 16th century. In legend, the salamander was believed to have the magical properties of being able to extinguish and to survive fire - this made it a potent good luck charm on board a wooden fighting ship, where fire was one of the greatest hazards. (photo/credit: National Museums of Northern Ireland-Ulster museum)

Of the 130 Spanish ships that set out in 1588 to invade England, over 20 of them were wrecked off the North and West coasts of Ireland. The sunken Girona's wreck was discovered almost four centuries later in 1967 in a gulf near the Causeway. A team of mostly Belgian marine archaeologists since recovered what is thought to be the most valuable and unique treasures ever found in a wreck. The very rich haul of treasures were recovered, including gold trinkets, badges, money chains and more than 1200 gold and silver coins. It was the most important valuables ever recovered from a Spanish warship. Most of these incredible treasures are now are on display in Ulster museum in Belfast.

  

The Ulster Museum owns the excavated remains of three of the Armada ships, the galleass Girona which was wrecked at Lacada Point, near the Giant's Causeway (County Antrim),  La Trinidad Valencera which ran aground in Kinnagoe Bay (County Donegal) and the Santa Maria de La Rosa which sank in Blasket Sound (County Kerry).

The Battle of Gravelines, 1588 (painting by Hilliard, Nicholas (1547-1619). The Girona was there with the invading Armada, before it was forced to head north to find a possible escape route back to Spain after the defeat on the battleground.

Map showing the route of the Armada fleet round Scotland and Ireland, by Augustine Ryther, 1588. The Girona was lost near the Giant's Causeway, in country Antrim in modern Northern Ireland (Photo: BBC British History in depth, Felipe Fernandez Armesto)

Part III: The Garni Gorge, under the watchful eyes of the Garni Temple complex

Garni (or Karni), the perfectly restored First century AD Hellenistic temple on the cliffs of the the Garni Gorge. The ruins of a 7th century church are at the foreground. The famous Gorge can be seen just behind the temple. The temple and the surrounding structures were used by successive dynasties. The pagan Godess Thetis was worshiped here.

The architectural complex of Garni was Armenia's foremost center of Hellenistic culture and the summer residence of Armenian kings. It was a fortress in the 3rd century BC and a temple was added in the 1st century AD. It is now within a village in the Kotayk district of Armenia, some 35 km southeast of Yerevan. The temple of Garni is one of the best wholly preserved Greco-roman temples in the area. It is thought to have been constructed mostly with roman money on the cliffs over the Garni gorge. The stones used in the construction of the temple is naturally the gray basalt and not white marble. Traditionally, Greek temples were made out of white marble but, here at Garni, the basalt stones were taken from a surrounding area. Basalt is a favorite of the Armenian sculptors, artisans and architects who knew very well how to cut the stones and use them in erecting temples, palaces and monuments.

It is believed that the Garni temple was first constructed as a testimony to the fact that the region had fallen under official roman rule, most probably during the reign of Emperor Trajan. The site at the edge of the cliffs of the Garni gorge made the area both very attractive and easily defensible against any attacks. The deep and famous gorge and steep mountain slopes were perfect for the defensive settings. The pagan goddess Thetis is thought to have been worshiped there both by Romans and Greeks.

The plan of Garni fortress, just. above the cliffs of the famous gorge 1.The pagan temple (picture above) 2. a seventh-century church 3. a pillared hall 4 a palace 5. a bath-house 6. The outer gate  7. The curtain wall (armenica.org)

The Garni fortress and temple complex  stands on a strategics of Garni stands on a triangular cape, which dominates the locality and juts into the river. A deep gorge and steep mountain slopes serve as a natural impregnable obstacle, and therefore the fortress wall was put up only on the side of the plain. It was put together of large square-shaped slabs of basalt placed flat on top of each other without mortar and fastened together with iron cramps sealed with lead. The whole complex is in perfect harmony with Nature (SHS.2009.sci.am).

The temple ruins were first unearthed in 1909-1911 by Academicians Marr and Smirnov. Since 1949, an archaeological group under Professor Arakelyan (Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Armenian Academy of Sciences) has been at work here. As a result, the ruins of a Neolithic camp, a Urartian cuneiform text of the 8th century BC carved on a dragon, and inscriptions in Greek, Aramean and Armenian provide evidence of many centuries of uninterrupted human existence. A Greek inscription carved on a huge basalt block mentions the reconstruction of a fortress by King Tirdat. Garni also has a 5th century single-nave church outside the fortress walls and a 7th century domed church, cruciform on the inside but with a multiplane exterior, directly adjacent to the pagan temple. A 9th century building here is the vaulted sepulcher of the Catholicos Mashtots. A number of buildings inside the present-day village of Garni and its environs date back to the 11th-13th centuries. (Gregorz Blachuta)

Druid or pagan like Armenian women in front of the Garni Temple (Photo: Grzegorz Blachuta)

Garni Temple and the fortress are a sure testimony to the Hellenistic period and cultural influence in the first and second century BC. The initial fortress is said to have been built by Artaxerxes II while the temple was built by the Armenian King Tiridates (Dertad) using funds provides by Rome. After Christianity was adopted as state religion, the Garni complex became a summer residence of the Armenian Royals. Eventually the beautiful Hellenistic temple and other surrounding summer palaces and bath-like structures built at over centuries were abandoned, vandalized and sacked, most notably by the Turco-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane (a.k.a. Timur Lenk, 1370-1405 AD). During my visit I even saw a very old engraved graffiti at the right hand front side of the temple. It is thought to have been written by a Persian soldier (17th century? during the Persian occupation era). The soldier tells how homesick he is and dreams about his beloved homeland while he is still on military duty in remote Garni. I regret not having taken a photo of that memorable graffiti.

The whole Garni area was also devastated by the 1679 earthquake and fell into ruins.
Fortunately, most original pieces of the temple were left on site, and the reconstruction of the Garni temple to its original grandeur was accomplished in the mid 1970’s by a team led by architect Shahinyan. The missing pieces were replaced and today the temple is fully reconstructed. The other adjacent palace, defensive walls, baths and church all still lay in ruins.


It is unknown to me if there are enough original stones (above ground or still buried) on site enabling their eventual reconstruction, even partial. I am convinced more investment in archaeological work would unearth enough stones to at least partially reconstruct adjacent original structures.

The Garni village and the very picturesque Garni bridge in the jagged and precipitous canyon of the Azat river.

The Garni Gorge is a hanging garden of magical basaltic pipes of rock just behind the Hellenistic temple complex.  (Photo: Alexander Naumov)

© Krikor Tersakian January 2010

All photo credits belong to their respective known and unknown authors.