Holiest sites in Shia Islam

Sites associated with the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Ali, the respective Shia Imams descended from them and their family members (collectively referred to as Ahl al-Bayt) are considered holy by the different Shia Muslim sects.

Ali is considered by Shia tradition to be the first legitimate caliph and the first imam due to the proclamation given by Muhammad.

[7][8] Many Shia believe that Ali did not want his grave to be desecrated by his enemies and consequently asked his friends and family to bury him secretly.

I swear to God that no one more honourable than the Commander of the Believers [Ali] has ever lived there after (the time of) his purified fathers, Ādam and Nūh.

The mosque stands on the site of the grave of Husayn ibn Ali, where he was martyred during the Battle of Karbala in 680.

[12][13] Up to a million pilgrims visit the city to observe the anniversary of Husayn ibn Ali's death.

[14] There are many Shia traditions which narrate the status of Karbala: Karbalā, where your grandson and his family will be killed, is the most blessed and the most sacred land on Earth and it is one of the valleys of Paradise.

[21]The Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom, Iran contains the tomb of Fatimah bint Musa, sister of the eighth Shia imam, Ali al-Ridha.

Hassan ibn Muthlih Jamkarani is reported to have met the Shia's 12th imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi.

Pilgrims tie small strings in a knot around the grids covering the holy well, which they hope will be received by the Imam Mahdi.

The Al-Sahlah Mosque in Kufa, Iraq is said to be the future home of the Twelfth Shia imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi.

Hakimah Khātūn, sister of Ali al-Hadi and Narjis, mother of Muhammad al-Mahdi are also buried within the mosque.

The cellar from which the twelfth or "Hidden" imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, disappeared from view is also found within this mosque.

[28] Al-Baqi (Jannat al-Baqī) is a cemetery located across from Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina, Saudi Arabia.