Ziyarat
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Ziyarat is a pilgrimage to sites associated with the prophet Muhammad, his companions, or other venerated figures in Islamic history, such as Shi'a imams or Sufi saints.It literally means 'meeting'. Sites of pilgrimage include mosques, graves, battlefields, mountains, and caves.
Iranian Muslims use the word ziyarat for both the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and pilgrimages to other sites. Such sites are called Ziyaratgaah. The exact meaning of the term, or related terms, in other Muslim-majority countries is not clear.
The lesser pilgrimages are not required of Muslims; only the Hajj is required. However, the lesser pilgrimages have often been the only pilgrimage available to many Muslims. Some Muslims believe that if they cannot do the Hajj, a ziyarat to a celebrated shrine can substitute for the Hajj. Hence local ziyarat is sometimes called the poor man's Hajj[citation needed]
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[edit] Etymology
"Ziyarat" comes from the Arabic word "zur" meaning "to visit". The word is actually pronounced "ziyarah" with a silent 't' at the end but as Arabic is not the first language of most Muslims, the word is commonly pronounced "ziyarat" rather than "ziyarah". It can also be transliterated from Arabic as "ziarah".
[edit] Pilgrimage sites
Pilgrimage sites are associated with the lives of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions, or with the Shi'a Muslim imams and their families, or with various Sufi saints.
Different Muslim-majority countries, speaking different languages, use different words for these sites.
- Imamzadeh — in Iran, tombs of Shi'a imams and their kin
- Dargah (درگاہ, दरगाह) — in South Asia, Iran and Central Asia, tombs of Sufi saints
- Ziyaratkhana — in South Asia (less common)
- Derga or Ziyaret — in Turkey
Sufi places of worship and retreat may be built near the graves of famous Sufi saints; they are often called khanqahs or tekkes.
[edit] Sites by country
[edit] Afghanistan
- Khwaja 'Abd Allah Ansari shrine, Gazargah
- The Rawze-e-Sharif (Blue Mosque), said to be the grave of Ali ibn Abi Talib; Mazar-i-Sharif
- Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa shrine, Balkh
- Baba Hatim Ziyarat, Emam Sahib
[edit] Algeria
- Othmania Zawia, traditional zaouia established in memory of a saint; Tolga
- Sidi Okba, Tomb of Sidi Okba bin Nafei, the great muslim Commander of Umayyad Forces; Biskra
[edit] Bangladesh
- Dargah of Hazrat Shah Jalal, the Dargah (tomb) and Masjid (mosque) of the Turkish Sufi saint Hazrat Shah Jalal; Sylhet
[edit] India
The Ziyarat sites in India are owned and maintained by the Wakf Boards of the respective states in which they are located.
 The dargah of Khwaja Nizamuddin Awliya, Delhi. |
 The dargah of Salim Chisti, through the Buland Darwaza. |
 The dargah and mosque of Haji Ali |
- Dargah (shrine) of Ahmed Rida Khan, Bareilly
- Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, Delhi
- Tomb of Amir Khusro, Delhi
- Dargah of Khwaja Sahib, or Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, in Ajmer, Rajasthan
- Dargah of Hussain Tekri in Jaora, Madhya Pradesh
- Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar district, Jammu and Kashmir
- Dargah of Salim Chisti, at Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh
- Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtyar Kaki’s shrine near Delhi
- Sheikh Jamaluddin Qutb’s shrine in Haryana
- Darghah of Haji Ali, Mumbai
- Dargah of Makhdoom Ali Mahimi, at Mahim in Mumbai
- Dargah of Nagore, in Tamil Nadu
- Shrine of Ibrahim, Bhadreswar, Gujarat
- Valley of Saints, shrines of several Sufi saints and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Khuldabad, Maharashtra.
- Dargah of Hazarath Tawakkal Mastan, Bangalore, Karnataka
- Bababudangiri shrine, Chickmagalur, Karnataka
[edit] Indonesia
- The tombs of the Wali Sanga
- Tomb of Tuan Guru Syeikh Abdurrahman Siddiq, Riau - frequented by Malays from Indonesia and Malaysia
[edit] Iran
Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists several hundred "ziyarat-gah" or places of pilgrimage in which a sage, Sufi, Imamzadeh, or Imam were buried in Iran. Some of the more popular ones include:
 The Bastami complex in Bastam, Semnan Province of Iran. |
 Shrine of Hazrat Masoumeh, one of Iran's holiest places. The shrine complex includes dozens of seminaries and religious schools. |
 Sheikh Safi's tomb, Ardabil. |
 Inside Imamzadeh Saleh in Tehran |
 Shazdeh Hosein shrine, Qazvin |
 Imamzadeh Hamzeh, Mahshahr-Hendijan, Khuzestan. |
- Shrine of Bayazid Bistami, Bostam
- Darb-i Imam shrine, Isfahan
- Davazdeh Imam shrine, Yazd
- Fatima al-Masumeh shrine, Qum
- Friday Mosque of Shiraz, Shiraz
- Harun-i Vilayat Mausoleum, Isfahan
- Imam Reza shrine complex, developed on the site of the eighth Imam's grave, Mashad
- Imamzadeh Saleh, Tehran
- Imamzadeh Husayn, Ardestan
- Imamzadeh Ismail, Ardestan
- Imamzadeh Shah Hussein, Varamin
- Imamzadeh Rabi'a Khatun, Ashtarjan
- Ja'far Imamzadeh, Qum
- Masumzadeh shrine, Damghan
- Pir-e Vaqef shrine complex, Afushteh
- Pir-i Bakran, tomb shrine of Muhammad ibn Bakran, Linjan
- Qadamgah shrine, Qadamgah
- Shah Chiragh shrine complex, Shiraz
- Shah Nur ad-Din Ni'matullah Vali shrine, Mahan
- Shaikh Ishaq Safi shrine, Ardabil
- Shrine complex of Shaykh 'Abd al-Samad, Natanz
- Shrine complex of Imam Reza, Mashad.
- Imamzadeh Shah Ahmad Qasem, Qom
- Shah-Abdol-Azim shrine of Imamzadeh Hamzeh, Imamzadeh Hamzeh, and Shah-Abdol-Azim, Rayy
[edit] Iraq
- Mashad Ali, the grave of Ali ibn Abi Talib; Najaf
- Imam Hussain Shrine, the grave of Husayn ibn Ali, Ali's son; Karbala
- Imam Awn al-Din Mashhad, tomb of Imam Ibn Hassan Awn al-Din; Mosul
- Shrine of Imam Musa al-Kazim and Imam Muhammad al-Taqi, Kazimain
- Shrine of Imam Ali al-Hadi and Imam Hasan al-Askari, Samarra
- Shrine of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, Samarra
- Nabi Jirjis complex, shrine dedicated to Nabi Jerjis (the saint George); Mosul
- Shrine of Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jelani, Baghdad
[edit] Israel & Palestine
- Masjid al-Aqsa, built over the spot from whence legend holds Muhammad(PBUH) is to have ascended to the heavens; Jerusalem
- Masjid Sakhra (Dome of the Rock), Jerusalem
- Tomb of Bibi Maryam, the mother of Prophet Isa, Jerusalem
- The Cave of Prophets (ghar al-anbiya), between Jerusalem and Damascus
- Tomb of Prophet Uzair, between Jerusalem and Damascus
- Tomb of Prophet Musa, 10 miles from Jerusalem
- Tomb of Prophet Ibrahim, Hebron
- Tomb of Sarah, wife of Prophet Ibrahim and mother of Prophet Ishaq, Hebron
- Tomb of Prophet Ishaq, son of Prophet Ibrahim, Hebron
- Tomb of Rifka, wife of Prophet Ishaq, Hebron
- Tomb of Prophet Yaqub, son of Prophet Ishaq, Hebron
- Tomb of Lanika, wife of Prophet Yaqub, Hebron
- Tomb of Prophet Yusuf, son of Prophet Ya'qub, Hebron
[edit] Kazakhstan
- Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi, Hazrat-e Turkestan (See volume by Privratsky in references.)
[edit] Malaysia
- Shrine of Syed Shahul Hamid, George Town, Penang
- Tomb of Ismail Nagore, George Town, Penang
- Tomb of Noordin Sahib, George Town, Penang
- Tomb of Syed Mustapha Idris a.k.a. Dato' Koyah, George Town, Penang
- Tomb of Wali Mohammed Salleh, Batu Uban,Penang - frequented by Naqshabandi Malays.
[edit] Mali
- Tomb of Askia, Gao
[edit] Morocco
- Complex of Sidi Bul Abbas, of one Marrakech's celebrated seven saints, Marrakech
- Zawiya and Mosque of Moulay Idris II, Fes
[edit] Pakistan
- Dargah of Shah Shams Sarwari
- Tomb complex of Lal Mahra, Dera Ismail Khan
- Shrine complex of Mir Ishaq and Mir Aref, Thagas, Pakistan-administered Northern Areas
- Shrine of Sayyed Mohammad Astana, Khapalu, Northwest Frontier Province
- Data Durbar Complex, tomb of Hazrat Ali Hajweri
- Bibi Pak Daman, said to hold the graves of five ladies from the prophet Muhammad's household (Ahl Al-Bayt).
- Golra Sharif, shrine of Pir Meher Ali Shah, Islamabad.
- Mohra Sharif, Murree hills of Punjab.
- Tomb of Baba Shah Jamal, Ichhrah, Lahore.
- Moula Kadham
- Shrine complex of Abdullah Shah Ghazi, Karachi
- Shrine and Mausoleum of Baba Farid-ud-din Ganj-e-Shakar (rz) at Pak-Pattan Sharif
[edit] Saudi Arabia
- Prophet's Mosque in Medina; Muhammad is buried there.
- Hira, the cave where the angel Gabriel is said to have first visited Muhammad.
- Baqi cemetery, where the wives and companions of Muhammad are buried.
[edit] Singapore
- Shrine of Syed Shahul Hamid
- Tomb of Wali Habib Noh - frequented by Malays and Naqshabandis
- Shrine of Hazrath Habibullah Shah
[edit] South Africa
- Tomb (kramat) of Sheikh Abdul Rahman, Cape Town - venerated by Cape Malays
- Tomb of Sheikh Jaafar, Cape Town - venerated by Cape Malays
- Tomb of Sheikh Mahmood, Cape Town - venerated by Cape Malays
- Tomb of Shaikh Yusuf Faure, Cape Town - venerated by Cape Malays
[edit] Syria
- Sayedah Zeinab Shrine, Damascus, the grave of Zaynab bint Ali, the daughter of Ali
- Araq Tomb, Damascus, dedicated to Suhayb al-Rumi
- Bab al-Hadid, Aleppo
- Bab al-Nasr, Aleppo
- Bab Antakeya, Aleppo
- Hilaliyya Zawiya, Aleppo. Mausoleum for Sheikh Mohammed Hilal Ram Hamdani
- Bab Saghir (also called Goristan-e-Ghariban), Damascus
- Umayyad Mosque (Jaami al-Amawi), Damascus
- Salera Hill, Damascus
[edit] Turkey
- Tomb of Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, Konya
[edit] Turkmenistan
- Shrine complex of Jamaluddin, Anau
[edit] Uzbekistan
- Saifuddin Bakharzi shrine, Bukhara
- Chupan Ata shrine, Samarkand
- Shah-i-Zinda shrine, Samarkand
[edit] Controversies
Some Sunni groups — the Wahabi and Salafi — believe that many kinds of ziyarat should be classified as shirk, or idolatry, and bid'ah, or innovation. In many cases, Wahabis or Salafis who have achieved political power over a country or a region have used that power to prevent ziyarat and even to destroy pilgrimage sites.
The government of Saudi Arabia supports the Wahabi interpretation of Islam. As the Guardian of the Two Holy Shrines, it attempts to prevent Shi'a and Sufi Muslims from performing ziyarat while they are visiting Mecca and Medina during the Hajj. One popular pilgrimage site, the Baqi Cemetery, is surrounded by large billboards proclaiming the sinfulness of shirk and grave-worshipping. Visitors are advised to visit the cemetery only to remind themselves of death and the transitory nature of life.
[edit] Note on "the poor man's Hajj"
It is apparently a folk belief in South Asia that passing through the gate of the Dargah of Khwaja Sahib seven times is equivalent to doing the Hajj. According to the Tribune of India:
- "The “zannati darwaja” is opened only four times in a year during Khawaja’s Urs, on Id-ul-Fitar, Sixth of Id and Bakrid. It is considered by faithfuls that one who passes through the “zannati darwaja” gets his seat reserved in “Zannat” (heaven) after death. Moreover seven rounds of the “Darwaja” gives “sawab” equal to Haj pilgrim. Those who cannot afford to go for Haj come here when the “darwaja” traditionally remains open and pass through it seven times. This is called poor men’s Haj." [1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References and links
Privratsky, Bruce G. Muslim Turkistan: Kazak Religion and Collective Memory. Richmond, Surrey: Curzon. 2001.
Subtelny, M. E. 1989. The cult of holy places: religious practices among Soviet Muslims. Middle East Journal, 43(4): 593–604.
