Holy Shrine of al-Sayyida Zaynab (a): Difference between revisions

According to researches, there is no source available until 5th century AH to show that there was a tomb or dome built upon the burial place of Lady Zaynab (s). Only one source in 2nd centry AH refers to the existence of a pilgrimage cite at the current location. According to the report of a woman related to Alawi families called Sayyida Nafisa bint Hasan al-Anwar, a descendant of Imam Ali (a); in 193 AH, she visited the pilgrimage cite for Lady Zaynab (s) in Rawiya of Damascus. After this date, there is another report in 500 AH which mentions that a person from Aleppo built a mosque at the pilgrimage cite for Lady Zaynab (s) in that year.

However, after 7th century AH, a shrine and dome have been built at this location. Also, when Ibn Jubayr (d. 614 AH), the famous tourist of the Islamic world, travelled to Damascus, he passed by Rawiya region and the current location of the shrine. In his report, he mentioned that the shrine belonged to Umm Kulthum, daughter of Imam Ali (a). However, there is a possibility that Ibn Jubayr meant the second daughter of Imam Ali (a) which is Zaynab al-Sughra, not Lady Zaynab (s) who is Zaynab al-Kubra.

In his report, Ibn Jubayr mentions the existence of the shrine of Lady Zaynab (s) in the village of Rawiya, a parasang (estimated at 5.6 kilometers) away from Damascus and says, "a large mosque is built there and there are houses outside it. There are also dedicated lands around it. People know these regions as the grave of Umm Kulthum." He finally mentions that he stayed there and visited the shrine. Abu Bakr Hirawi (d. 611 AH) also visited the shrine of Lady Zaynab (s) and has a report about it.