"Seven Holy Cities of Islam"?

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

I'm just trying to get some info about Timbuktu, and in nearly every article in the net about this city, it gets attributed as being one of the "seven holy cities of Islam".
Now, I remember when I visited Kairouan on a Tunesia trip some years ago, this city also referred to being one of those 7.
However, searching the net only lists Bukhara as another one; but I can't find either a complete list, nor where the term comes from at all.
Obviously Mekka, Medina and Jerusalem are the widely known holy cities, but what about the other 4?

 

[Knight-Dragon]

Baghdad? It was the seat of the Abbasid caliphate after all.

 

[Princeps]

Maybe damascus, or cairo...

 

[Reno]

Karbala is one of the holy cities to Islam, along with the most obvious ones, that have been mentioned already.

 

[Verbose]

Aren't we talking Sunni holy sites here?

Karbala is holy to the Shiite. It may be the burial place of Mohammed's grandsons, but it was their Sunni enemies who killed them.

Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem are obvioulsy holy to all muslims, regardless of affiliation.

Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Kairouan, Bukhara, Timbuctu, and... ???

Contenders: Damascus? Cairo? Baghdad?

What about Samarkand? Cordoba in Spain used to the an important muslim city?

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Yes, Sunni only.
There are several cities consistently called 'holy' for Shiites; Kerbala, Q'om, for example.

Note I only found one single reference to Bukhara, so I'm not entirely convinced that one is on that list.
Moulay Idriss in Morroco would be another reasonable candidate.

I only wonder if such a list exists officially at all...

 

[Verbose]

Could be like the Wonders of the Ancient World — the ancient Greek made several lists, no two quite alike.

 

[jonatas]

Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Kairouan, Bukhara, Timbuctu, and... ???

Contenders: Damascus? Cairo? Baghdad?

i almost want to guess Baghdad... Cordoba, although the largest, most powerful city in Europe during it's heyday afaik, wasn't considered a holy city in the Islamic world

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

I think what really matters is that pilgrims who cannot afford to make their haji to Mekka, are allowed to pilgrim to those cities for several times instead.
For example, 5x Moulay Idriss counts about as much as 1x Mecca. I know Timbuktu and Kairouan are (or were) similar here. That would make Bukhara pretty reasonable as well, considering it is also quite remote from Mekka.
But admittedly, I'm just guessing here.

 

[jonatas]

I think what really matters is that pilgrims who cannot afford to make their haji to Mekka, are allowed to pilgrim to those cities for several times instead.
.

yes this is true... it was said that a prayer in Mecca was worth 50 000 prayers in a normal city, Jerusalem something like 30 000 etc...

 

[CruddyLeper]

Seem to recall Kandahar (in Afghanistan) being referred to as a holy city.

 

[The Last Conformist]

5*Mawlay Idriss=1*Mecca?

I guess this is why the Arabs invented algebra.

 

[Princeps]

Nevermind.

 

[Mongoloid Cow]

IIRC, there are more "Holy Cities of Islam" than the "Seven Holy Cities of Islam". I remember there being a city in Mauretania being like the 11th or so. A Pilgrimage to the Temple of Tamerlane in Turkestan, Kazakhstan, is worth two pilgrimages to Mecca IIRC. But I don't think Turkestan is one of the "Seven".

 

[FriendlyFire]

New york perhaps?

very funny

A lot of people visiting ground zero had very strong emotional experiences.
(Almost all profound saddness and reflection)

 

[Princeps]

very funny

A lot of people visiting ground zero had very strong emotional experiences.
(Almost all profound saddness and reflection)

Oh, sorry.

I didin't mean it that way.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

Istanbul, Antioch, Ankara, Damascus, and Mecca perhaps?

 

[The Last Conformist]

Ankara? Sounds highly unlikely.

 

[pawpaw]

Madinah
Makkah
Mecca
Medina
Jerusalam
Karbala
Chinguetti

 

[Doc Tsiolkovski]

Madinah? Do you mean Madiha in Tunesia? Surely not, been there.