Iraq

The primary focus of pilgrimages to Karbala, this large shrine contains the tomb of Imam Husayn (d. 680), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and a much-revered Shi'a martyr.

In the Shia holy city of Najaf in southern Iraq is the mosque and shrine of Imam Ali. For Shia Muslims, it is the third holiest place in the world after Mecca and Medina.