Mausoleum of Imam Ali
| Mausoleum of Ali | |
|---|---|
مقام علی | |
 The shrine as photographed in 2012 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Festivals | |
| Ecclesiastical or organisational status | Mausoleum and mosque |
| Status | Damaged since 2025 |
| Location | |
| Location | Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh province |
| Country | Afghanistan |
  Location of the mausoleum and mosque in Afghanistan | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 36°42′30″N 67°06′40″E / 36.70833°N 67.11111°E |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Timurid |
| Completed | c. 10th–16th century CE |
| Specifications | |
| Dome | Two (maybe more) |
| Minarets | c. 10 (maybe more) |
| Shrines | One: Ali (r. 656–661) |
The Mausoleum of Ali (Dari: مقام علی, romanized: Maqām ʿAlī), or Blue Mosque (مسجد کبود), is a mausoleum and mosque complex located in Mazar-i-Sharif, in the province of Balkh, Afghanistan. The complex purportedly houses the tomb of Caliph Ali, the first Imam of Shia Muslims (r. 656–661).
Many pilgrims annually celebrate Nowruz at the site. At the annual Jahenda Bala ceremony a flag is raised in honour of Alī. People touch the flag for supposed luck in the New Year.[1][2]
History
[edit]The earliest surviving source stating Ali to be buried in Balkh is Tuhfat al-Albab of the Andalusian traveller Abu Hamid al-Gharnati (d. 1170).[3] Abd al-Ghafur Lari wrote that Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Shia imam, assigned Abu Muslim the task of transferring Ali's body to the Khurasan, though this is likely apocryphal.[4]
The first structure of the site dates back to the Seljuk era. It was built by Sultan Ahmad Sanjar in the 11th century. In the 13th century, the Mongols under Genghis Khan invaded Balkh, where they massacred the Balkhi population and destroyed their places of worship. The mosque built by Sanjar was destroyed by the Mongols in the year 1220.[5]
In the 15th century, the Timurid amir, Sultan Husayn Bayqara, ordered a reconstruction of the destroyed building.[5]
In later years, various rulers made repairs and endowments, including the Shaybanid emir Abd al-Mu'min ibn Abd Allah Khan, who built a dome. Later, Berdi Beg, the Khan of the Golden Horde who reigned from 1357 to 1359, added several decorations to the building. In the modern era, a plan was created to renovate the whole complex in 1910.[5]
The structure's minaret was partially damaged and cracks formed in the walls when a Mw 6.3 earthquake struck Mazar-i-Sharif on November 3, 2025, which also killed at least 27 people. The culture ministry immediately pledged to "assess and repair the damage".[6][7]
Gallery
[edit]-
Men praying during Ramadan, 2012 -
Entrance to one of the buildings -
Distant view of the mosque in 2011 -
White pigeons in the Blue Mosque's courtyard -
Close up -
Central Asian style tile work -
A family feeding the pigeons
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See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Janda Bala, flag raising, marked in Balkh". www.pajhwok.com. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Thousands celebrate Nowruz in Mazar-i-Sharif". UNAMA. March 22, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ McChesney 2014, p. 27.
- ^ McChesney 2014, pp. 30–31.
- ^ a b c "Rowze-i Sharif". ArchNet. June 11, 2016. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
- ^ Camino Gonzalez, Jenipher (November 3, 2025). "Afghanistan's historic Blue Mosque damaged by earthquake". DW. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
- ^ Qahar Afghan, Abdul (November 4, 2025). "Afghanistan earthquake survivors spend the night in the open; the quake damaged historical sites". AP. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
Bibliography
[edit]- McChesney, Robert Duncan (2014). Waqf in Central Asia: Four Hundred Years in the History of a Muslim Shrine, 1480-1889. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400861965.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Blue Mosque, Mazar-i-Sharif at Wikimedia Commons
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