Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi has visited Imam Khomeini’s historic residence in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf, where Imam spent several years in exile before the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.
The minister and his accompanied delegation were briefed about the historic house and seminaries in the holy city where Imam trained hundreds of pupils who later became a great support for the Islamic Revolution.
Najaf is a holy city in Iraq and the burial place of Imam Ali (as), the first Imam of Shi'a Muslims. Geographically, Najaf is located 160 kilometers south of Baghdad, which is the capital city of Iraq. It is the holiest site for Shia people around the world. Najaf is also very close to the city of Kufa and it is not possible to separate these cities from each other.
One must note that prior to the establishment of schools in Qom, founded by Ayatollah Abdul Karim Ha'eri, students used to travel to Najaf to study Islamic studies. Religious scholars such as Sayyid Abul Qasim Al-Kho'ei, Ayatollah Hakim, Muhammad Baqir Sadr (senior) and Sadr (junior) were educated and taught there. At present, Ayatollah Sistani, who is a great religious authority, lives there.
Imam Khomeini and his son, Mustafa Khomeini, were forced to leave Bursa in Turkey on the 4th of October 1965. From there, they migrated to Iraq. They visited the holy cities of Kadhimain, Samara, and Karbala. However, they decided to stay in the sacred city of Najaf, where they stayed for a further thirteen years.
The sites attributed to Imam are visited by tourists, officials and pilgrims from around the world each year.
The Iranian cultural minister arrived in Baghdad at the head of a delegation on Monday to visit with Iraqi cultural officials.
In his brief remarks published by his office on Tuesday, Salehi said that the deep cultural relations between Iran and Iraq have grown over the past few years.
He also said that the agreements previously signed between the two countries have helped boost bilateral cultural relations.
The agreements are scheduled to be improved during meetings with Iraqi cultural officials, Salehi added.