Full Description
The assault on Samarra, which was built in the period of the Abbasid caliphate in the ninth century CE, therefore came to represent for many a symbol of the destructive civil conflict which engulfed Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion. The Shi'a of Samarra explores and analyses the cultural, architectural and political heritage of the Shi'a in both Samarra and the Middle East, thus highlighting how this city functions as a microcosm for the contentious issues and debates which remain at the forefront of efforts to rebuild the modern Iraqi state. Its examination of the socio-political context of the Shi'a/Sunni divide provides important insights for students and researchers working on the history and politics of Iraq and the Middle East, as well as those interested in the art and architecture of the Islamic world.
Contents
Foreword by Charles Tripp
Introduction
Part I: History of the Shrine and City in Samarra
Chapter 1: Samarra: Shi'i Heritage and Culture
Chapter 2: The Samarra Shrine in its Historical Context
Chapter 3: History of the al-Askariyya Shrine
Part II: The Life and Legacy of Religious and Scholarly Figures in Samarra History
Chapter 4: Visiting the Life of Imam Al-Hadi and Imam Hasan Al-Askari
Chapter 5: The Legacy of Mirza Shirazi in Samarra
Chapter 6: Amili Perspectives on the Scholarship of Samarra and Najaf
Part III: Samarra in wider Iraqi Discourse: Sectarianism, Politics and Citizenship
Chapter 7: Sectarianism in recent Iraqi History
Chapter 8: Sectarian Co-existence in Iraq
Chapter 9: Shi'i Islamism in Iraq
Chapter 10: Thinking about Citizenship and Identity
