Shrine of Hazrat Ali

The main attraction of Mazar-e-Sharif is the Shrine of Hazrat Ali which sits in a large square in the center of town. Hazrat Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Mohammed, and founder of the Shi’a branch of Islam, assassinated in 661 AD, may or may not be buried here, most would say he is buried at Kufa, Iraq, near Baghdad. However there is a legend that says his body was transferred away from that location via camel and it was here, in present day Mazar-e-Sharif, where the camel dropped dead and the body buried. The site is so sacred that all pigeons that come to reside near the shrine will turn white within 40 days.  Read more here…