Al-Kadhimiya Mosque

The Al-Kadhimiya Mosque, in the Kādhimiya suburb north of central Baghdad, is one of the most important Shia shrines in the world. Its four golden minarets and two great gold-sheathed domes are visible from a considerable distance, and the shrine complex draws millions of pilgrims each year. The current building largely dates to restoration work carried out in the early 16th century under Shah Ismail I of Persia, with further embellishment by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent after 1534.

Non-Muslim visitors may be able to enter the outer courtyards but should dress modestly and ask locally about current access before visiting. The neighbourhood around the mosque, Kadhimiya, is one of Baghdad's oldest residential districts and has a distinct character worth exploring on foot.

things to do sight
A story
The two Imams buried beneath the golden domes of Al-Kadhimiya — Musa al-Kadhim and his grandson Muhammad al-Jawad — were killed centuries apart, but their tombs became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Shia Islam. On the anniversary of al-Kadhim's death, millions of pilgrims converge on the shrine from across Iraq and Iran, making the journey on foot in what is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth.