It is officially known as the al-Askari holy shrine. It is the shrine of the two imams, Ali al-Hadi and al-Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon them both, and they are among the twelve imams).
Dear visitor… As you begin to implement your visit to Samarra, That city that was the capital of the Abbasid caliphate for a long time. You will be overwhelmed by the lively echoes that emanate from the prestige of its monuments and sacred figures, especially the purified Military Garden, whose majestic golden dome, which is one of the largest domes of imams in the Islamic world, will dazzle you with a circumference of (68) meters, with its seventy-two thousand pieces of gold. As well as its two golden minarets, which are 36 meters high, and the military kindergarten. As it is known to you, our honorable visitor, it includes the tombs of the two imams, Ali al-Hadi bin Muhammad al-Jawad (PBUH), who died in the year (254) AH – 868 AD), and his son Al-Hassan Al-Askari (PBUH), who died in the year (260 AH – (874 AD), who was buried next to his father. The scene also includes the tomb of Mrs. Halima bint al-Jawad, the aunt of al-Hassan al-Askari. And his wife, Mrs. Narjis, who is the mother of Imam Al-Mahdi (AS). And the majestic dome that we referred to a short time ago was built by Nasir al-Dawla al-Hamdani in the year (333 AH – 945 AD) over the two holy shrines and enclosed them with a solid wall. Then the Abbasid caliph Al-Mustansir Billah replaced the tomb box with a box of teak wood. and rebulid of the kindergarten and the fence, Then the Caliph Al-Nasir added to the religion of God constructional additions to the dome and the minarets. This scene was taken care of in different eras until it was renovated within the year (1200 AH – (1785 AD).
And the city of Samarra, which hosts the Alaskari kindergarten. It is located in Salah al-Din Governorate, at a distance of (124) km from Baghdad, and it is a city built on the ruins of the ancient city (Sir Min Ra’a), which was founded by the Abbasid Caliph al-Mu’tasim Billah in the year (221 AH 836 AD). After him, his son, Caliph Al-Wathiq, expanded it and brought it to the peak of its prosperity and expansion, the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil.
Source: Guide to religious tourism in Iraq 1992
