مسجد براثا, Shia mosque in Atifiya district, Baghdad, Iraq
Buratha Mosque is a Twelver Shia mosque in the Karkh district of Baghdad, in the Atifiya neighbourhood on the old Kazimiyah road. The complex holds a large courtyard, a prayer hall, a library, an old cemetery and two minarets added when the mosque was rebuilt in 1955. A white stone set at the qibla and a well called the Well of Imam Ali are shown to visitors.
The site originated as a Christian monastery and was transformed into a mosque following a dialogue between Imam Ali and the monastery's leader in the 7th century. This conversion represents a significant moment in the area's religious transformation.
The mosque functions as a gathering place where Shia worshippers come together for prayer and religious observance throughout the year. It draws people from across the region who seek spiritual connection and community.
The mosque stands in the Karkh district on the west bank of Baghdad, in the Atifiyya area south of Bab al-Mu'adham, about 10 km from the city centre and roughly 5 km from the Kadhimiyya mosque. It lies on the old road linking Kadhimiyya with Baghdad, so it is reached by car or shared transport rather than on foot from the centre. The complex holds a courtyard, prayer hall, library, the Well of Imam Ali and an old cemetery.
The name Buratha is the Arabic form of the Aramaic word baraytha, meaning "outer" or "outside", as the village lay beyond the historic centre of Baghdad. The site predates the city itself and was originally a village about 3 km from the old city.
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