Al Hannana Mosque

About one thousand meters from the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and near the shrine of Kumayl ibn Ziyad Al Nakha'i, stands Al Hanana Mosque, considered one of the most prominent religious and historical landmarks in the city for the pivotal events it has stored, connected to the biography of the Ahl Al Bayt (peace be upon them).

The name has two accounts. One holds that it derives from "hanin" (longing/grief), as the captives of Imam Hussein passed through this site and the sacred head and the heads of his companions were displayed, whereupon sounds of grief and lamentation arose over what had befallen them.

The other holds that the word derives from "Hanna," an ancient Christian monastery built by Al Mundhir I ibn Al Nu'man I between 418 and 462 CE, which stood on the very site of the mosque, and the name evolved over time.

This place is connected to two prominent incidents:

The first was when the funeral of Imam Ali passed on its way from Kufa to Najaf. At the site stood a prominent column that bowed in reverence for the pure body, and became known thereafter as "Al Qa'im Al Ma'il" (the Leaning Pillar), remaining in its bowed position until the end of the eighth Hijri century.

The second is that this site is the place where the head of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) was placed after the events of Al Taff in 61 AH during the passage of the captives.

Furthermore, it is one of three places where Imam Ja'far Al Sadiq dismounted and performed prayer during his passage through Najaf and Kufa, alongside the shrine of the Commander of the Faithful and the shrine of the Imam of the Age in Wadi Al Salam.

The mosque covers an area of approximately 7,400 square meters and continues to this day to attract visitors from all parts of the Islamic world.