The most beautiful shrines and pilgrimage sites to visit Route de la soie

Qom seems entirely oriented towards the teaching of feqh, religious law. In the shadow of the golden dome of the mausoleum of Fatima, many fervent theological students listen to religious sermons. Students and mullahs with black or white tunics reign masters on the scene. Women are covered by the chador, with few exceptions.

As a city of pilgrimage, Qom also attracts thousands of Shi'a pilgrims throughout the year, converging to the magnificent Hazrat-e Fatemeh Masumeh Sanctuary or Fatima la Pure sanctuary. During the Moharran month of mourning commemorating the martyrdom of Hossein, the crowd is at its height. Kneeling in the face of the grave of Fatima, women preached beauty, fertility and marital happiness. Located near the river, the immense sacred enclosure, surmounted by its impressive dome of gold leaves, is the heart of the holy city. A picturesque little square, dominated by the soaring soaring soaring minarets and the huge entrance gate, allows access to the interior courtyard of the mausoleum. Non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the sanctuary. Highly recommended respect and discretion. The magnificent sanctuary around the tomb of Fatima was built under Shah Abbas I and the following safavides kings, eager to establish their power under Ottoman occupation and to counterbalance the sect's tombs in Najaf and Kerbala. The mausoleum became the object of extreme veneration and it is around the tomb of Holy Fatima that the City developed. The magnificent golden dome of the mausoleum is a beautification due to Fath Ali Shah, which made it cover with pure gold plates. A walk in the adjacent streets will allow you to grasp the atmosphere. The usual «temple merchants» offer their religious articles - citations from the Koran, compressed holy earth briquettes intended for prayer, rosaries, prayer rugs, etc. See also the beautiful Persian silk carpets. Even in the holy Land, the gourmands will be tempted by the delicious sohun, caramel patties and saffron exportées exported worldwide.

Among the many holy places and shrines in Damascus, there are three of them attracting the Shia pilgrims in Iran. They are the tomb of Hussein in the Great Mosque, the nearby Rouqqaya mosque, and finally the Saida Zeinab mausoleum. Dedicated to a granddaughter of Mohammed, this mausoleum takes you to Isfahan. The profusion of money and mirrors in the prayer rooms, the rich decor of tiles, the immense golden dome contrast with the modest suburb where it is located. To get there, take a collective taxi for Saida Zeinab (15 km from the city centre, on the road to Souweida south-east of Damascus).

The dimensions of the sanctuary, a large square enclosure of 175 m aside, and the state of conservation of the cella placed in its centre make this monument one of the most fabulous of the Roman Middle East after Baalbek.

Such a marvel was obviously not born in one day. It is on the location of a Hellenistic temple than in 32. The cella was dedicated to three deities: Bêl, Yarhibôl and Aglibôl, all three of the palmyrénien pantheon. This construction undoubtedly marks the affirmation of Roman sovereignty in Palmyra. It will then be necessary to wait until the beginning of the th century for the péribole to be enlarged and located in two rows of columns. The entrance gate (the one that locks up the existing counters) was completed only at the end of the th century. The latter wall included a monumental entrance (with stairs) which suffered greatly from the transformation of the sanctuary in place in the th century by the Mameluk. The spectacle of its re-replacement elements inserted into disorder proves the state of decay of the city of the day.

In the vast courtyard of the sanctuary, the eye is immediately drawn from the slightly regulator cella to the northeast. It is still partly surrounded by columns of its peristyle, especially on the east side. The peristyle was covered with slabs worn by also beams of stone. The portal, which has been restored, is of impressive size. The Syrian claw on this building is clearly reflected in the richness of the decoration (palmettes, fruit garlands, foliage…). In the axis of this portal opens the cella, large room 10 m on 30 m which constituted the heart of the temple. Facing, two thalamos, the most sacred part of the temple, which had the statues of the gods.

The left thalamos had a staircase and an annexe room. The richly decorated ceiling bears in its centre the effigy of Jupiter (the star associated with Bêl), surrounded by a first circle representing the six planets and a second bearing the twelve signs of the Zodiac. The southern thalamos is also surmounted by a monolithic bloc weighing several tens of tons, with pure geometric and floral decoration.

The fly of stairs that drove there is well preserved. Two other stairs inside the sacred chamber leading to the roof of the building. The room has a mihrab which attests the transformation of cella into mosque. By leaving the cella, you will note in the courtyard of the sanctuary, left, the traces of a bassin basin and, on the right, those of an altar. Behind the altar was identified the foundations of a banquet room near a processionnaire lane lined with stands that used to drive animals to sacrifice and climb on a gentle slope from the west wall wall.

The mausoleum of Mirsaid Bakhrom is located in the park behind the market. The portal of the domed mausoleum dates from the end of the 10th century. Its decoration, made with an arrangement of bare bricks, is reminiscent of that of the Samanides' mausoleum. Today the monument is endangered by the saline rises. Look at the bricks, you can see a large deposit of salt. The mausoleum is still an important place of pilgrimage, and the faithful can come there very early in the morning.

The khanaka Kasym-Sheikh is an architectural ensemble of the 16th century, consisting of a mosque with a small blue dome and a khanaka. Kasym Sheikh's grave is behind the mosque. The khanaka for pilgrim dervishes was built by Abdullah khan, a native of Karmana. There are several tombs of saints in the inner courtyard, as was customary in the khanaka. The place is quiet and rarely frequented, you will have to charter a taxi to get there and pay for the round trip plus the waiting time of the driver.