The Buratha Mosque (Arabic: جامع براثا) is a historic Shi'ite place of worship in the Karkh district of Baghdad, Iraq. It is an important holy site for the Twelver Shi'ites.^[1][2][3] The mosque was allegedly built in the 7th century over an old Nestorian Christian monastery, and it is now located at least five kilometres away from the Al-Kadhimiya Mosque.^[4]

Quick Facts Religion, Affiliation ...

Buratha Mosque
The mosque in 2015
Religion
Affiliation	Twelver Shi'a
Province	Baghdad Governorate
Location
Location	Karkh, Baghdad, Iraq
Shown within Iraq
Geographic coordinates	33°21′03″N 44°21′40″E
Architecture
Style	Modern
Completed	1955 (current structure)
Specifications
Capacity	1000–3000 worshippers
Dome(s)	1
Minaret(s)	2

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Local tradition ascribes the construction of the mosque to be in the 7th century.^[3][5][6][4] The traditional account states that the mosque was formerly a monastery for the Nestorian Christians, managed by a monk named Hebar. When Hebar met with Ali ibn Abi Talib, he accepted Islam and converted the monastery into an Islamic place of worship.^[3][5][6] The mosque in that form existed until the 10th century, when the Abbasid Caliph Al-Radi ordered the demolition of the mosque as an attack against the Shi'ite communities.^[2] After the mosque was demolished, locals complained of the matter to the governor of Baghdad, whom rebuilt the mosque and inscribed the name of the Caliph Al-Radi there to prevent it from being demolished.^[2][1]

The Buratha Mosque is a significant holy place for Twelver Shi'ites due to its association with Ali ibn Abi Talib.^[6][3][5] It is narrated in Shi'ite holy books that Ali rested here after a fight with the Khawarij.^[6][3][5] Another miraculous event reported by the Shi'ites is that Ali struck a stone in the floor of the mosque, which revealed a fresh spring.^[6][3][5]

In 2006, three suicide bombers, two out of three disguised as women, detonated themselves in the mosque compound, leaving 85 dead and 160 wounded.^[7] The attack was also a targeted attack against the Iraqi politician Jalaluddin al-Saghir, who was present in the mosque at the time as its main preacher. However, Saghir was not harmed by the attacks.^[8]

• List of mosques in Iraq
• List of mosques in Baghdad