St. Chora's amazing High Definition mosaics

Ten megapixel Mosaics!

St. Chora Church is not the most impressive of the Byzantine churches but it has arguably the best mosaics of the era (10-12th century), all executed when the fate of Constantinople was very clear with the city surrounded by the Ottoman forces. The church is best known for housing some of the best preserved mosaics and frescoes from the late-Byzantine period and considered among the very best in the world. (Photo: Krikor Tersakian)

St. Chora High Definition mosaic: St. Paul at St. Chora church. Unsurpassed quality. 

It is funny, but every time I mention the Chora church to friends in Montreal, they think I am talking eggs, fruits and and pancakes ! You see, "Cora" is a pretty successful breakfast serving chain in Quebec owned by a Greek businesswoman, while I am trying to talk about the Chora church in Constantinople that houses the best Byzantine Mosaics and Frescoes, arguably the finest in the world!

The world had to wait until very recently for the introduction of High Definition TV and screens, but the incredible and unparalleled mosaics of St. Chora church were executed in "HD" in the 14th century! Some of the mosaic stones used are smaller than rice grains and the overall quality and execution are unparalleled. Mosaic is a very difficult art, and the Chora church is the ultimate temple of this lost but very noble Art.


St. Chora Church (known also as Kariye Museum) is a rather ordinary looking and medium sized church but amazingly it has some of the very best Byzantine mosaics of the 12-14 century to be found anywhere. Constantinople or Istanbul is long known as a city with layer upon layer of cultural riches and heritage dating from ancient times. But beyond all the obvious and universally acclaimed sites, St. Chora is a jewel that’s rarely seen or known. Therefore easily confused with the Montreal breakfast chain by some...

The Chora Church was originally built outside the defensive walls of Constantinople on the south of the Golden Horn, 4 Km west of  HaghiaSophia and Topkapi. The church's full name was the Church of the Holy Saviour in the Country (Greek ἡ Ἐκκλησία του Ἅγιου Σωτῆρος ἐν τῃ Χώρᾳ, hē Ekklēsia tou Hagiou Sōtēros en tē Chōra). The name, Chora referring to its location originally outside of the walls, became the shortened and accepted name of the church. The original church on this site was built in the early 5th century, and stood outside of the 4th century walls of Constantine the Great. However, when Theodosius II built his impregnable land walls in 413–414, the church became incorporated within the city's defenses, but retained the name Chora. The church became an important stopping point for Pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land.

Early in the 12th century, the church suffered a partial collapse, perhaps due to an earthquake and was rebuilt. However, it was only after the third phase of building, two centuries after, that the church as it stands today was completed.
Therefore the majority of the current building dates from 1077–1081, when Maria Ducaena, the mother-in-law of Alexius I Comnenus, rebuilt the Chora Church as an inscribed cross (quincunx), which was a popular architectural style of the time. Early in the 12th century, the church suffered a partial collapse, perhaps due to an earthquake. The church was rebuilt by Isaac Comnenus, Alexius's third son. However, it was only after the third phase of building, two centuries after, that the church as it stands today was completed.
  
The powerful Byzantine statesman Theodore Metochites endowed the church with much of its fine mosaics and frescoes. Theodore's impressive decoration of the interior was carried out between 1315 and 1321, thee mosaic-work being the finest example of the Palaeologus Renaissance. In 1328, Theodore was sent into exile by the Andronicus III but later was allowed to return and lived as a monk his last two years in the church.  Finally in 1453 The Ottoman occupied the city through a defensive lapse very near the St. Chora church at Edirne Kapi. The Byzantine soldiers knew their surrounded city was doomed and were resting, praying and finding solace at the Chora.

After theOttoman conquest under the Sultan Fatih, this unique church Around became a mosque. Fifty years after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans (in 1453), Atık Ali Paşa, the grand vizier of Sultan Bayazid II, ordered the Chora Church be converted into a mosque — Kariye Camii. Due to the prohibition against images in Islam, the mosaics and frescoes were mostly left unharmed but were covered behind layers of plaster. This and frequent earthquakes in the region had taken their toll on the artwork until their restoration. Another earthquake in 1894 did not help either.

In 1948 the scholar Thomas Whittemore (Dumborton Oaks Byzantine Institute, Washington D.C.) who had done restoration work at the Haghia Sofia, sponsored also a audacious program of restoration of the unique art at the Chora, removing the plaster and restoring the artwork to its splendor. Awesome mosaics and frescoes were discovered, unique in their fine detail, displaying very subtle shadings and very rich colors that are unknown or lacking in earlier Byzantine mosaics. From that time on, the Chora church ceased to be a functioning mosque. In 1958, it was opened to the public as a museum — Kariye Müzesi. In today's Istanbul, St. ChoraHaghia Sofia in the pecking order. Still, it is a must see of universal importance.

A Brief history of the lost art of the mosaics 

It is very difficult to elaborate about the exacts origins of the mosaic art as various civilizations from Mesopotamia to Rome have somehow excelled in their own right and not always in religious themes. Purely decorative mosaics with geometrical patterns were also mastered along with the mythological characters, saints, earthly or heavenly scenes etc. Early christians adopted mosaics fast and made them an integral part of church decorations. Mosaics were indeed extensively used both the secular dwellings as well as religious buildings throughout the Roman Empire and the Mediterranean basin.

Despite all this, it is safe to argue that mosaics were most popular in the Eastern Roman Empire and hence were perfected by the Byzantines and therefore the Orthodox Christian rites. Others, such as Venice and other Italian cities also mastered the art as they were in constant friendly (and not so friendly) contact with Byzantium. The mosaics were an ancient roman tradition but in my view they reached their perfection under the Byzantines as witnessed in the St. Chora and a few churches and monasteries. 


Mosaic is described as an art where the collage of small pieces of glasses, glazed clays, shells, pebbles, stones and even semi precious stones are used to create a decoration (images, landscapes, religious scenes, geometrical patterns etc.). The stones or glasses are cut to different shapes and the multicolor assemblage is used to create the final work "in situ" (on site, that is in a palace, cathedral, monastery etc).  The glasses of different colors are referred to as tesserae and are combined to create the art.

With the rise of the Byzantine Empire from the 5th century onwards, centered on Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey), the art form took on new characteristics. These included Eastern influences in style and the use of special glass tesserae called smalti, manufactured in northern Italy. These were made from thick sheets of colored glass. Smalti have a rough surface and contain tiny air bubbles. They are sometimes backed with reflective silver or gold leaves to enhance the overall finish resulting in mesmerizing overall effects.

St. Chora Church dome: High Definition photo or mosaics of Highest quality? This mosaic, in the southern dome of the inner narthex, depicts the ancestry of Christ and his ancestors. In particular, Adam through Jacob are listed, along with the sons of Jacob. (Photo Mirari Erdoiza)

St. Chora: Christ the Savior (Left) and the miracle of Christ multiplying the bread to feed the 5000 followers. (Photo: Rolfgross)

HD screens are not needed here: You have to see to believe that this is not some modern poster, painting or a fresco. This is the mosaic just inside the main door. It depicts the famous image of Christ Pantocrator (Photo: pages.pomona.edu)

St. Chora: Byzantine mosaic depiction of Christ. When the church was built in the 5th Century, Istanbul was still known as Constantinople. The mosaic tiles were added to the interior walls in the 14th century and are considered to be amongst the finest examples of Byzantine art.

St. Chora: Mosaic of the journey to Bethlehem (photo: choramuseum.com).The walls are decorated with superb 14th century mosaics, illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. These are the finest masterpieces of Christian religious art to be found anywhere in the world. Paintings, rocks and architectural designs seen in the background make the pictures three-dimensional. The scenes are made with special care for them to look daily, lively and ordinary. The scenes are enriched with explicating stories near them. 

Like the mosaics and the frescoes inside, the architecture of the St. Chora is artfully distorted, chaotic, asymmetrical and decorative. (Choramuseum.com)

Mosaic closeup: small mosaic ceramic pieces at Chora in need of repair, showing the stunning range of colors used. It’s not easy to do but it is well worth the effort. The interior walls are covered with exquisite Byzantine religious art that has no equal anywhere in the world. (Choramuseum.com)

The Frescoes in St Chora are also in High Definition: This is the Anastasis (or Resurrection) scene. Christ, who had just broken down the gates of Hell, is standing in the middle and trying to pull Adam and Eve out of their tombs. Behind Adam stand John the Baptist, David and Solomon. Others are righteous kings;(Photo:Mlahannas.de)

Constantinople's defensive walls today, near the St Chora church: a stunning contrast of Old and New: These walls are named after Emperor Theodosius, and I took this picture at Edirnekapi very near the point the Ottoman army finally breached the Byzantine defenses and conquered the besieged city in 1453. The Chora church is only a few hundred feet away. The mobile fruit vendor, the black Audi and the car behind parked in an opposite direction make a stunning tableau of this historic place. Climbing these monstrous fortifications gave me my first ever vertigo and I really feared for my life unsure how to come down safely without losing my balance. (Photo: Krikor Tersakian)

The St. Chora when it was still used as a Mosque then still called Kariye Camii (circa 1904). The mosaics were under then hidden under a layer of white plaster hiding them from view and few knew about their existence.  Note the Golden Horn and Beyoglu Pera at the far left. This area now is totally surrounded by concrete working class dwellings and known to be  a conservative Muslim Fatih neighborhood.

The Pammakaristos church: Another forgotten Byzantine jewel

Only a few hundred meters from the St. Chora stands another masterpiece of Byzantine culture, namely the Pammakaristos (Greek: Θεοτόκος ἡ Παμμακάριστος, "All-Blessed Mother of God") church which is today known as the Fethiye Mosque or museum. It does have very valuable mosaics even though not as elaborate as those at the St. Chora. It is in the area called Çarsamba in Fatih neighborhood and was built on the fifth hill of Constantinople in the beginning of 12th century and then rebuilt in the 13th century by Michael Glabas Ducas Tarchaniotes, nephew of the emperor Michael VIII Palaeologos. After the fall of the City in 1453, Pammakaristos was used as a nunnery and then it became the see of the exiled Orthodox Patriarchate from 1455 until 1587.
In 1590, the church was inevitably converted into a mosque Fethiye (conquest or conqueror), in order to commemorate the conquest of Georgia and Azerbaijan by the Turks under the reign of Sultan Murad III during the Iranian war. A part of the apse was removed and a niche (Mihrab) was built showing the direction of Mecca for Muslim prayers along with a minaret and a religious teaching school or madrassah.

Pammakaristos church was then neglected for a long period until its restoration in 1949 by the Byzantine Institute of America (see details below). Just like the St. Chora, in the mid 20th century the frescoes and mosaics were cleaned and the famous church became a museum but it is far less visited than the St Chora and understandably so.

 At the entrance, there is a well preserved frescoes on the wall with "three wise men", and some fragments of other frescoes. Inside the dome and the interior walls of the parekkleison are covered with mosaics from the 14th century. The dome is decorated with Christ Pantokrator and the Twelve Prophets. In the apsis, there are figures of Christ with Virgin Mary and John the Baptist forming the Deesis, and archangels watching them. In the vaults and arches, there are scenes of the Baptism, and of several saints and monks of the church (www.greatistanbul.com)
 

 Pammakaristos Pantocrator church dome mosaics: (Photo: phool 4xc FlickR)
 

Pammakaristos: St. Gregory Illuminator (Սուրբ Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ) mosaic   14th century: St Gregory or Krikor was the driving force behind the conversion of Armenia from paganism to Christianity in 301 A.D. and hence the founder of the Armenian Apostolic church. He was initially imprisoned by the Armenian king Tirdad I (Տրդատ թագաւոր) but he managed to convert the King to Christianity along with the Nation (the first in the world to do so). His son Aristakes was his successor as head of the newly formed Church and took part to the famous First council of Nicaea in 325 A.D., the first ecumenical council of bishops of the Christian Church under Constantine. The above mosaic at the Pammakaristos church is very interesting but a bit odd given the conflict and competition opposing the Byzantines to the independent Armenian Apostolic church. 

This mosaic at Haghia Sofia may be the most famous of them all, but the overall quality of the surviving artwork (frescoes and mosaics) at St Chora is in a different league. (Photo: Krikor Tersakian)

Real life Indiana Jones: In 1948, Thomas Whittemore (1871 – 1950) and Paul A. Underwood, from the Byzantine Institute of America and the Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, sponsored a program for restoration of the Chora in Istanbul. Thomas Whittemore was a scholar, archaeologist, born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1871. His good personal relationship with Ataturk enabled him to gain permission from the government to start the preservation and restoration of the Haghia Sophia mosaics in 1931. Under the plaster he discovered close to a thousand years of history—in silver, gold, marble, and sparkling glass cubes put together into a parade of saints and influential sinners which stretches from 537 to 1453 A.D., when the Turks came marching in, and then started work at the Chora restoring the place to its splendor (Choramuseum.com)

Bicephalous Eagle: The Byzantine Imperial flag: The double-headed eagle was the symbol of the Palaiologos, the last Greek-speaking "Roman" dynasty to rule from Constantinople. Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos recaptured Constantinople from the catholic Crusaders in 1261, from a state based in Asia Minor; the double-headed eagle symbolized the dynasty and was kept despite the fact that virtually all of the Asian possessions were being gradually gobbled up by the Turks. This symbol was also adopted by the Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as the Russians.

The tragedy of open air mosaics and historical treasures in the Middle East 

Beit Meri, Lebanon: an example of open air Roman mosaic floor in total neglect

I grew up an Lebanon, a country considered to be an open air museum. The country is small in size, but few can claim to have seen all the historical sites the cradle of ancient Phoenicia has to offer. From the earliest human settlements all the way to Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, Mameluke, Ottoman or French colonial rule, the country is a one stop shopper's paradise. However all is not so rosy. Some sites are unprotected and the concrete urban jungle threatens most. The Lebanese National Museum with all its unique Phoenician and other treasures was heavily damaged and sacked during the civil war.  But this is by no means a tragedy unique to Lebanon. Archaeological sites across the region are left unprotected and are crying for help.

Another tragedy happened in Baghdad upon the absurd Iraqi invasion by all time great American visionary leader and philosopher called George W. Bush. More than ten thousands antiquities of different sizes were looted in April 2003 from the National museum. These unique treasures were illegally sold all around the world, but fortunately most but not all were eventually recovered. In a typical answer as to why the US forces did not secure the museum from theft and looting, the official answer from the General Richard Myers was that while the looting was taking place at the museum, lots of people were dying because of the fighting. Therefore the museum with the unique Mesopotamian artifacts was not a priority for the attacking troops...

As for mosaics, the picture is even bleaker in the region because of the very fragile nature of these assemblages. For example when I was a kid, we used to sometimes visit the Roman site in the Village of Beit Meri near Beirut where there are open air mosaics  and we used to actually walk on them just for fun! Yes, we were pretty ignorant, innocent and supervision free to walk on these thousand years mosaics. I still deeply regret doing so.
The sorry state of some archaeological sites in the Near East and elsewhere is beyond belief even though deliberate acts of vandalism seem to be rare. But is this acceptable ?
There are not many options available other than the complete protection of all historical sites with the help (both financial and technical) of the International community, agencies, universities and even philanthropists who understand a basic fact: what is lost today is never recovered.

The great 19th century Armenian Humorist / Satirist Hagop Baronian (1843 Edirne-1891 Constantinople) summed it best: ''Look to your rear side to see in front of you'' (Ետեւդ նայիր որ առջեւդ տեսնես). That is, History is not just the past, it is also the best interpretation and the road map to understand and somehow predict the future.

 

Tyre, Lebanon: Neglected open air mosaics. It is in the Roman period that mosaics in Lebanon started to appear.The Hellenistic period from 400 B.C until the Roman period have not yielded any mosaic pavement in Lebanon particular during its prosperous period of the 2nd century A.C-Mosaics continue to flourish during the Byzantine period until the Arab conquest. Important finds of mosaic pavements have been made in many archaeological sites, in churches and in ancient houses.  Lebanon has become thus one of the most important centers for the study of mosaics. (Photos: Cedarrick)

Lebanon mosaics in total neglect: Please, please, please: Can anyone be caring and smart enough to put these broken mosaic pieces together and lift them a few centimeters off the ground for protection?  Or maybe not. After all, not many care...

Krikor Tersakian  June 2010, Canada

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