The first day of this Year, that is the Persian New Year of 1397, coincided with the martyrdom anniversary of the Imam Ali al-Hadi (PBUH).He was the tenth of the Twelve Imams after his father Muhammad al-Jawad and before his son Hasan al-Askari. Therefore, many Iraninans decided to attend the religious ceremonies in the holly Shrine of Imam Hadi(PBUH) in S?marr? 125 km (78 mi) from Baghdad.
The dome of the shrine was destroyed in a bombing by extremists in February 2006 and its two remaining minarets were destroyed in another bombing in June 2007, causing widespread anger amongst Sh?‘ah Muslims. The remaining clock tower was also destroyed in July 2007. The dome and minarets were repaired and the mosque reopened in April 2009.
The pilgrims who attended the ceremonies prayed for the hastening reappearance of the Imam Al-Mahdi(may God hasten his blessing Reappearance ).
