Imam Ali’s Step Mosque, Basra

Founded around 635 CE during the reign of Caliph Umar at the new garrison-city of Basra, the Imam Ali Mosque is reputed to be one of the first mosques outside Mecca and Medina and the first major school of fiqh, hadith and Arabic studies in Iraq. Abd Allah ibn Abbas and Wasil ibn Ata taught here, and Hasan al-Basri is associated with its circles.

Its name, Khutwat Imam Ali — the footstep or step of Imam Ali — commemorates his sermon from the pulpit after the Battle of the Camel in 656 CE. His presence sanctifies the site for Shia Muslims, while the wider Muslim community honors it as a foundation of Islamic learning.

Old Basra was largely abandoned as the modern city grew, and the present mosque was rebuilt in 2000 over seventh-century remnants. It remains a place of five daily prayers and pilgrimage, especially vivid during Ramadan iftar and Qur'an recitation gatherings.

The thinness of this mosque rests on continuity with the very beginnings of Islam. It is among the oldest mosques anywhere, reputedly the first outside Mecca and Medina, and the first center where the religious sciences of fiqh and hadith were taught in Iraq. Beneath the rebuilt structure lie remnants of the seventh-century mosque, and the air carries the memory of Imam Ali addressing the people of Basra from this pulpit after the Battle of the Camel. For visitors, standing in one of Islam's earliest mosques and first centers of learning evokes a direct connection to the founding generations of the faith.

A congregational mosque for the new garrison-city of Basra and, soon after, the first school of jurisprudence, hadith and Arabic studies in Iraq.

Founded around 635 CE under Caliph Umar; named Khutwat Imam Ali after Imam Ali's sermon following the Battle of the Camel in 656 CE. Repeatedly rebuilt after floods and the decline of old Basra, with the current structure dating to a reconstruction in 2000 over the seventh-century remnants. It remains an active mosque and pilgrimage site.

The mosque lies in the old Basra area, roughly 12 km west of the modern city center near Zubair, reached by car or taxi. The present building, reconstructed in 2000, rises over the remnants of the seventh-century mosque, and visitors note its antiquity and its role in the earliest history of Islam.

During Ramadan the mosque comes fully alive: families gather for iftar, Qur'an reciters — including some from al-Azhar — fill the evening, and pilgrims arrive from across Iraq and from Iran, Pakistan and India. On Shia commemorative dates such as Ashura and the martyrdom of Imam Ali, the faithful walk here on foot. Standing in one of Islam's earliest mosques and first centers of learning evokes a strong sense of connection to the founding generations of the faith and to Imam Ali.

Enter respectfully during open hours, ideally around but not interrupting the five daily prayers. Remove shoes before the prayer hall. If visiting in Ramadan, the evening iftar and recitation gatherings offer the fullest sense of the mosque as a living place.

The mosque was founded around 635 CE at the new garrison-city of Basra during the reign of Caliph Umar, reputedly the third mosque of Islam and the first outside Mecca and Medina. It became known as Khutwat Imam Ali — the step or footstep of Imam Ali — after Imam Ali entered the mosque and preached from its pulpit following the Battle of the Camel in 656 CE. Founding is sometimes dated to the era of Caliph Umar, with the 'footstep' name added after Ali's sermon.

Islam, honored by both Sunni and Shia: a foundation of early Sunni jurisprudence and hadith scholarship, and a Shia ziyarat site sanctified by Imam Ali's presence.

Daily congregational prayer; the teaching and recitation circles historically rooted here that made the mosque the first school of fiqh and hadith in Iraq; Shia ziyarat (devotional visiting) and on-foot pilgrimage on commemorative dates.

Five daily prayers; Ramadan evening prayers, iftar gatherings and Qur'an recitation with reciters including some from al-Azhar; Shia pilgrims walking to the mosque on Ashura, the martyrdom of Imam Ali, and the birth of Imam al-Mahdi.

Enter quietly and let the antiquity of the place settle. Reflect on the founding generations of Islam and on Imam Ali's address to Basra after the Battle of the Camel. If visiting in Ramadan, share in the atmosphere of the evening gatherings as a respectful observer.

The mosque is honored both as a historical cradle of Islamic learning and as a site sanctified by Imam Ali's presence.

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Sacred places within a half-day’s reach. Pilgrims often visit them together: walk one, stay for the other.

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Mausoleums of Muslim bin Aqil, Hani bin Urwa and Almukhtar, Kufa Mosque, Najaf

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Sources consulted when researching this page. Independent verification by readers is welcome.

1. 01Imam Ali Mosque (Basra) — Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors
2. 02Grand Mosque of Basra — WikiShia — WikiShia
3. 03Imam Ali Mosque (PBUH) — Embassy of the Republic of Iraq — Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs
4. 04Families enjoy iftar at the Imam Ali mosque in Basra — The National — The National
5. 05Sacred Sites of Iraq — World Pilgrimage Guide — Martin Gray / sacredsites.com
6. 06Old Mosque of Basra — Archiqoo — Archiqoo