|
SAMARRA, Iraq — When insurgents bombed the Askariya shrine nearly four years ago, Qassim Mohammed Arab saw his fortunes collapse along with the holy site's iconic golden dome. |
|
Those darkest moments of the war have passed, and Samarra, once considered among the most dangerous cities in all of Iraq, is mostly peaceful these days. Major construction on the shrine, which holds the tombs of Shia 10th and 11th imams, is almost complete.
In the coming weeks, workers will begin the onerous process of gilding Askariya's rebuilt dome with thousands of tiny gold-plated tiles, said Mohammed Asur al-Hashimi, the deputy manager overseeing reconstruction of the shrine. For all the progress, Samarra remains a symbol of Iraq's challenges. There is healing on the surface, but sectarian tensions linger underneath. Iraqi security forces erecting 10-foot-high concrete blast walls around Askariya. The rebuilding of Askariya, estimated to cost $16 million, was a priority of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who vowed to restore the shrine to its former glory. Al-Hashimi said the blast walls around Askariya were erected to protect the shrine and visiting Shias, but few pilgrims venture into the markets on the other side of the concrete barriers.
Ali al-Murshadi, a government spokesman for the shrine, said the tight security comes by order from the prime minister's office, which remains vigilant against another attack. The first attack in 2006 on Askariya collapsed the shrine's golden dome. A second attack a year later toppled its towering minarets. "What would happen if they bombed Askariya again?" al-Murshadi said. "We would see terrible violence throughout the country once again." While the site is under construction, hundreds of pilgrims pray daily at the shrine, and as many as 35,000 religious tourists have visited on holidays since the reopening, al-Murshadi said.
/106 |
