Tourists coming to Iraq will witness many holy and antique places, for this country is, after
all, considered to be the cradle of civilisation. They will surely encounter many new things that increase their knowledge and discover places they had never before heard of.
In the district of Abu Gharq in Babylon, the city of antiquities, lies the shrine of Lady Shareefa, a member of Ahl al-Bayt. The historians say that Lady Shareefa was martyred after the Battle of al-Taff.
The Secretariat General of the Shrine of Lady Shareefa, Mr. Ahmad Hasan Muhammad, spoke more about the shrine, saying that according to the documents that they have, the history of the shrine's current building dates back to about 200
years ago. However, he added that ‘In spite of our searching in historical records, we have been unable to verify the real name of Lady Shareefa, and this name is only one that we have given to her.’
He added that ‘We found two documents in the shrine; the first was written by the historian al-Sheikh Muhammad Haidar, who proved the exact place of the shrine according to an aerial survey map. The second goes back to a genealogist called Mutir al-Husseine and refers to the location of the shrine and the date of her martyrdom, confirming that she was martyred after the Battle of al-Taff. However no one actually mentioned her real name.’ He clarified that they also found other documents but have relied primarily on the first two documents.
Regarding the mass of pilgrims that visit the shrine every day, Mr. Ahmad said that the number of pilgrims has been increasing since 2007, and that is because the real role of the media, which has shone a spotlight on the shrine and the essential services that the shrine requires. These include paved and well-lit roads, in addition to an expansion of the shrine to accommodate the expanding number of pilgrims.
Future Projects
Assistant Administrator Lazim Ali Abid told the magazine about the shrine's future projects, mentioning that there are many projects that may accommodate the increasing number of pilgrims that are arriving: more than 80,000 per day. The first project
is to reconstruct the shrine, demolishing the old building and constructing a larger one with
modern conveniences.
Abid added that the shrine's second future project is to expand, which may take many
years, because they face many obstacles such as the acquisition of land around the shrine, on top of the financial cost. He also added that an insufficient number of employees is causing additional problems facing the administration of the shrine. Abid concluded that the administration of the shrine aims to increase the support provided by the government, because the shrine is important for tourism and it is a holy site for foreign pilgrims who come from all over the world.