Religious tourism and visiting Imam Aoun (peace be upon him)

Nour Salman Saleh
Supervised by: Lect. Ahmed Obaid Oraibi

First: – Religious tourism: – It is one of the oldest types of tourism and is represented by visiting religious sites in the world, such as Mecca and Medina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiya, Samarra, and Baghdad in Iraq, which contain shrines, shrines and religious tombs for Muslims (Abu Hajar, 2011, p. 70)
On the other hand, religious tourism stems from the tourist’s deep desire to search for spirituality and contemplation and is primarily linked to his spiritual and psychological needs. Religious tourism is not limited to specific tourist seasons or ideal tourist attraction conditions. Still, it is characterized by the tourist seeking to achieve visions and dreams and fulfill vows without restrictions. It is an essential extension of the tourism industry, as the goal is to visit places with religious history to practice religious teachings and revive significant religious occasions. (Al-Yasiri, 2019, p. 57)
Second: The importance of visiting the Imam Aoun (peace be upon him) district as a case study: The Imam Aoun district, which is located in Karbala Governorate, is bordered on the north by the Fallujah district at a distance of 5.92 km, while the Hindiya district is located south of the Aoun district at a distance of 91.87 km, and this district is bordered on the east by the Al-Musayyib district at a distance of 10.96 km, while the Al-Razzaza Al-Buhaira district is located on the west side at a distance of 22.38 km. What distinguishes the Aoun area is that it is the only entrance to Karbala Governorate from the northern side. It is characterized by the presence of the shrine of Imam Aoun, which is 10 kilometers away from the center of Karbala Governorate; where large numbers of visitors flock to this area due to the presence of this holy shrine, which the history of this area has always been associated with, and in which he was buried after he was martyred at the hands of the companions of Ibn Saad during his revolution with Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in the Karbala incident. Many tourists from several Arab and foreign nationalities flock to it annually, especially on the 13th of Safar (Al-Khaza’i, 2012, p. 317).