It contains the tombs of the seventh and ninth Twelver Shī'ī Imāms, respectively Mūsā al-Kādhim and his grandson Muhammad al-Jawad.

The mosque was built on the site of a Quraysh cemetery, which was created with the original Round City of Baghdad in 762.

[4] The cemetery in an old Arab town named "Shoneezi" (Meaning the Black Grain) was founded by Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur so that members of his family and internment can be buried in it.

[6] In 1611, the Ottoman Sultan and Caliph Ahmed I granted Jamal al-Din bin Mullah Ali, a descendant from Bani Shaiba, a firman, a royal decree, allowing him and his family to have full custodianship of the mosque and its shrine.

[citation needed] On 6 June 2007, at least seven people were killed after twin car bombings occurred near the mosque, one at al-Zahra'a Square, and the second 300 meters away at the Aden intersection.

The event coincided with police officers discovering the 47 victims of torture conducted by Shi'i Sectarianist militants.

[12] On 7 January 2009, A male suicide bomber dressed as a woman,[13] killed 38 and injured 72 visitors as they were preparing for the day of Ashura.

[14][15] Later on 8 April, 2009, 7 people were killed and 23 others were wounded after a bomb that was left in a plastic bag near the mosque detonated.

Residents in the area called the event a "massacre" noting the bodies, some burnt, scattered on the ground.

[13][17] On 8 April, 2009, 7 people were killed and 23 others were wounded after a bomb that was left in a plastic bag near the mosque detonated.

Iraqi Security forces have blocked major roads in Baghdad in anticipation of attacks against the visitors who traditionally travel on foot from different parts of Iraq and used the event to stop antigovernmental protests.

[5] Although the expansion of the mosque and shrine have been severely criticized due to neglect of its heritage surroundings and the removing of its old urban fabric.

[20][21] Repairs to the crumbling structure of the main courtyard of the mosque and its surrounding rooms were carried out in three phases, spanning four months, before the end of 2007.

[27] The gate and the outer wall had to be entirely refurbished because of the severe neglect they had withstood, and took seven months to complete, having started in early September 2006.

[citation needed] Al-Kadhimiya Mosque is considered one of the most iconic landmarks of Iraq, and as such has appeared in several works throughout modern history.