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Kadhimain
The area that now constitutes Kazimain was originally the
location of a graveyard reserved for members of the Quraish
tribe, in the north of Baghdad. This land was set aside for this
purpose by the Abbasid caliph, Harun al-Rashid. The first
person to be buried here was the son of Imam Musa al-Kazim,
Jafar. The Imam would later be buried here, and his grandson
would be buried near him. A shrine was built over the tombs of
both Imams, and thus Kazimain has become an important
destination for Shia pilgrims.
In its early history, the town was an important center of Shia
learning, perhaps the main center, but over time the town
declined, and other cities rose to prominence. The location of
the city has lent it to numerous plunders, that have resulted in
damage to its shrines at different times in history. Among the
most damage ever experienced by the town was after the
Mongol sack of Baghdad where the shrine of the Shia Imams
was burnt down. The area was also an important center of
resistance against the British after World War I.
Kazimain is the location of the military base, Camp Justice,
where the former president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein was
executed at approximately 03:00 UTC on December 30, 2006.
Two weeks later on January 15, 2007, Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti,
former head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, and Awad Hamed
al-Bandar, former head of the Iraqi Revolutionary Court, were
also executed by hanging at this site. Saddam's former deputy
and former vice-president, Taha Yassin Ramadan (who was
originally sentenced to life in prison on November 5, 2006, but
had it changed to a death sentence three months and a week
later), was likewise hanged here on March 20, 2007, two
months and five days after Barzan's and al-Bandar's execution.
During the Baghdad Security Plan of 2007, there were rumors
that US forces built walls around the Imam al-Kadim mosque.
According to Iraqslogger.com, the protests that resulted were
due to an agreement between Iraqi security officials and Mahdi
Army that US forces would not come within 1,000 meters of the
shrine.
Kadhimain Street
Kadhimiya Map