Dhāt 'Irq (Arabic: ذات عرق) is a miqat and archaeological site located at Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
| Dhāt 'Irq | |
|---|---|
ذات عرق | |
 A highway which leads to Dhat Irq | |
  Shown within Saudi Arabia | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Mecca |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
| Coordinates | 21°55′48″N 40°25′32″E / 21.9299640°N 40.4254970°E |
Etymology
editAccording to the traveller Yaqut al-Hamawi, the name Dhāt 'Irq is derived from a similarly-named mountain located in the Hijaz.
Function
editDhat Irq is a miqat, a place where the pilgrims going on the Hajj enter the state of ihram and subsequently wear the prescribed clothing for the event.[1][2] The miqat of Dhat Irq, however, is usually visited by the pilgrims who come from Iraq and Khorasan.[3] The place is also where caravans and tour groups on the destination for pilgrimage stop to rest and meet.[4] There is a large mosque at Dhat Irq for pilgrims to pray at, as well as additional facilities like hostels, toilets and a shopping centre. The site has also been classified as an archaeological site.[5]
History
editClassical antiquity
editIn 599 BCE, the Neo-Babylonian ruler, Nebuchadnezzar II, invaded the Arabian Peninsula and fought against the pagan Arab tribes in the region.[6][7] The forces of Nebuchadnezzar II and Adnan, the ruler of Mecca at the time, clashed at Dhat Irq where a battle ensued. The subsequent victory was indecisive. According to the Islamic traditions, the biblical prophet Jeremiah was involved in keeping the young Ma'ad ibn Adnan safe from harm.[8]
Late Antiquitiy
editIn November 624 CE, the Sahabi and military commander Zayd ibn Haritha was sent on an expedition to Dhat Irq by the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[5][9][10] However, the prophet himself did not participate in the expedition, as was the custom for a sariyya.
Early Middle Ages
editDhat Irq held importance to the Shi'ites after their leader Husayn ibn Ali had stayed there for a while to rest on his journey to the city of Kufa from his hometown. Husayn had a conversation with a local from Banu Asad about the situation in Kufa and discussed the exegesis of the seventeenth chapter of the Qur'an, which is Al-Isra'.[11] The scholar Tahir al-Samawi reports that Husayn had a meeting with the sons of Abdullah ibn Ja'far and some Umayyad government officials in Dhat Irq.[12]
Modern history
editA foundation stone for a project to modernize Dhat Irq was laid in 2010 under the orders of Khalid bin Faisal Al Saud, the governor of Mecca.[3] As of 2019, a mosque has been constructed at the site as well as pilgrim hostels and commercial centres, including shops and retail stores.[5]
See also
edit- Miqat for a list of other mawaqit in Saudi Arabia
References
edit- ^ Hughes, Thomas Patrick (1994). Dictionary of Islam. Chicago, IL, the US: Kazi Publications Inc. USA. ISBN 0-935782-70-2.
- ^ "Meeqath | Hajj & Umrah Planner". Hajjumrahplanner.com. 22 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ a b "The Miqat in the middle of a barren desert". Makkah Newspaper. 18 December 2015.
- ^ Subaie (8 December 2021). "Dhat Irq, a historic meeting place for Hajj caravans". Al Riyadh.
- ^ a b c "Dhat Irq archaeological site". Saudipedia.
- ^ Ibn al-Athir (1231). al-Kāmil fi al-Tārīkh [The Complete History] (in Arabic).
- ^ Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (915). Tārīkh al-Rusul wa al-Mulūk [The History of the Prophets and Kings].
- ^ Ibn Kathir (1500s). Al-Bidāya wa l-Nihāya [The Beginning and the End] (in Arabic). Vol. 2. ISBN 978-9953520841.
- ^ Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri (1976). Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum [The Sealed Nectar]. Darussalam Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59144-070-3.
- ^ al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon.
- ^ Ibn A'tham al-Kufi (1968). Kitab al-Futuh al-Buldan. Maṭbaʻat Majlis Dāʼirat al-Maʻārif al-ʻUthmānīyah.
- ^ Tahir al-Samawi (2022). Ibsar al-Ayn fi Insar al-Husayn. Pranava Books.