Al-Askari Shrine, the 'Askariyya Shrine, or Al-Askari Mosque[a] is a Shia Muslim mosque and mausoleum in the Iraqi city of Samarra 125 km (78 mi) from Baghdad. It is one of the most important Shia shrines in the world. It was built in 944.[1] The dome was destroyed in a bombing by Sunni extremists in February 2006 and its two remaining minarets were destroyed in another bombing in June 2007, causing widespread anger among Shias and instigation of the Iraqi Civil War between the country's Shia and Sunni factions.[2] The remaining clock tower was also destroyed in July 2007.[3] The dome and minarets were repaired and the mosque reopened in April 2009.[4]
The 10th and 11th Shī'īte Imams, 'Alī al-Hādī ("an-Naqī") and his son Ḥasan al-'Askarī, known as al-'Askariyyayn ("the two 'Askarīs"), are buried in the shrine.[5] Housed in the mosque are also the tombs of Ḥakīma Khātūn, sister of 'Alī al-Hādī; and Narjis Khātūn, the mother of Muḥammad al-Mahdī.[6] Adjacent to the mosque is another domed commemorative building, the Serdab ("cistern"), built over the cistern where the Twelfth Imam, Muḥammad al-Mahdī, first entered the Minor Occultation or "hidden from the view"—whence the other title of the Mahdi, the Hidden Imam.
The Imams 'Alī al-Hādī ("an-Naqī") and Haṣan al-'Askarī lived under house arrest in the part of Samarra that had been Caliph al-Mu'tasim's military camp ('Askar al-Mu‘tasim, hence an inmate of the camp was called an 'Askarī). As a result, they are known as the 'Askariyyayn. They died and were buried in their house on Abī Ahmad Street near the mosque built by Mu'tasim.[6] A later tradition attributes their deaths to poison.
Nasir ad-Din Shah Qajar undertook the latest remodelling of the shrine in 1868, with the golden dome added in 1905. Covered in 72,000 gold pieces and surrounded by walls of light blue tiles, the dome was a dominant feature of the Samarra skyline. It was approximately 20 m (66 ft) in diameter by 68 m (223 ft) high.
On 22 February 2006, at 6:55 am local time (03:55 UTC) explosions occurred at the shrine, effectively destroying its golden dome and severely damaging the shrine. Several men belonging to Iraqi insurgent groups affiliated with Al-Qaida, one wearing a military uniform, had earlier entered the mosque, tied up the guards there and set explosives, resulting in the blast. Two bombs were set off[7][8] by five[9] to seven[10] men dressed as personnel of the Iraqi Special Forces[11] who entered the shrine during the morning.[12]
Time magazine reported at the time of the 2006 bombing that:
al-Askari [es] uno de los lugares más sagrados del Islam chiíta , superado en veneración sólo por los santuarios de Najaf y Karbala . Incluso los sunitas de Samarra tienen en alta estima a al-Askari. La expresión 'jurar por el santuario' es utilizada habitualmente por ambas comunidades". [13]
Alrededor de las 8 de la mañana del 13 de junio de 2007, agentes pertenecientes a Al Qaeda en Irak destruyeron los dos minaretes dorados restantes de 36 metros de altura (118 pies) que flanqueaban las ruinas de la cúpula. No se reportaron víctimas mortales. La policía iraquí informó haber oído "dos explosiones casi simultáneas procedentes del interior del recinto de la mezquita alrededor de las 8 de la mañana". [14] Un informe de la televisión estatal Iraqiya declaró que "los funcionarios locales dijeron que se dispararon dos rondas de mortero contra los dos minaretes". [14]
A finales de 2007, el gobierno iraquí firmó un contrato con una empresa turca para reconstruir el santuario. Posteriormente, el gobierno iraquí canceló el contrato debido a retrasos de la empresa turca. [4] En abril de 2009, la cúpula dorada y los minaretes fueron restaurados y el santuario reabrió sus puertas a los visitantes. [4]
