What is Al-`Askarī?
Q: What is Al-`Askarī?
A: Al-`Askarī is a Shī`a Muslim holy site located in the Iraqi city of Samarra.
Q: How far away from Baghdad is Samarra?
A: Samarra is 60 miles from Baghdad.
Q: When was the `Askariyya Shrine built?
A: The `Askariyya Shrine was built in 944.
Q: Who are buried at the shrine?
A: The remains of the tenth and eleventh Shī`a Imāms, `Alī l-Hādī and his son Hassan al-`Askarī, known as "the two `Askarīs" (al-`Askariyyān), rest at the shrine. It also contains the remains of Hakimah Khatun, sister of `Alī l-Hādī, and Narjis Khatun, mother of Muħammad al-Mahdi.
Q: What other names does it go by?
A: The `Askariyya Shrine is also known as the "Tomb or Mausoleum of the Two Imāms", "the Tomb of Imāms `Alī l-Hādī and Hassan al-`Askarī" and al-Hadhratu l-`Askariyya.
Q: What happened to its dome in 2006?
A: Its dome was destroyed in February 2006 during what became known as the al-`Askar Mosque Bombing.
Q: How important is this site to Shi'ite Islam?
A: Time magazine reported that “al-Askari [is] one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites - only Najaf and Karbala are more important - and even Sunnis hold it in high esteem."
