Shrine of Ammar ibn Yasir (R.A) (Ar-Raqqah)

 tomb(s), grave, mosque, shrine, destroyed, interesting place

Shrine of Ammar ibn Yasir/ˤAmmār ibn Yāsir (R.A)

Ammār b. Yāsir (570-/657) was an early companion of Prophet Muhammad (s) and among the first people to become Muslim. 'Ammar, along with Salman, Miqdad, and Abu Dhar, is considered to be one of the first Shi'a. He was among those few Muslims who refused to pay allegiance to Abu Bakr. He was over 90 years old when he fought in the Battle of Siffin and was martyred by the army of Mu'awiya.

'Ammar was buried where he was martyred which is located today in the Raqqa province in Syria.
The mausoleum is described in the paper, "Ziyaratgah-hayi Ahl-i Bayt wa ashab 'alayhim al-salam", as follows: "a great, magnificent visiting place is located in the city which has attracted Shi'as and pilgrimage caravans. It contains the graves of some martyrs of Siffin, including 'Ammar b. Yasir, Uways al-Qarani, and Ubayy b. Qays. Before the last three decades, the building only had two small chambers on the graves of 'Ammar b. Yasir and Uways al-Qarani (p. 56). However, after the victory of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, the area of the mausoleum was purchased and its present scaffolding was constructed at the request of Imam Khomeini and the agreement of Hafiz al-Assad, the previous president of Syria. The building remained in this way for years, until the its constructions, tiles, and other decorations were completed and officially opened in 2004 with the support of Iran and the Housing and Urbanization Ministry of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the time. The building of the mausoleum has a vast rectangular courtyard around which porches, chambers, offices, and religious halls are located in two floors. All facades of the building and its courtyard are covered with white stones and tiles, which has bestowed a mesmerizing beauty to it. 'Ammar b. Yasir's mausoleum is located on the western side of the courtyard, and Uways al-Qarani's mausoleum is located on its eastern side. They have the same shape and have domes with blue tiles and high minarets. Ubayy b. Qays's mausoleum is located outside the eastern side of the courtyard. Its dome is smaller than that of 'Ammar and Uways.

On March 11, 2013 Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front was blamed for the bombing and damage to the shrine of Ammar ibn Yasir in Raqqa.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHk_sLOrnGM