TEHRAN –On Tuesday, the 2nd Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brunei, Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Yusof, paid a visit to the holy shrine of Fatima Masoumeh (SA).

He was accompanied by Brunei’s ambassador to Iran Avang Haji Esmaeil, ISNA reported on Wednesday. 

Located in Qom, some 140 km to the south of Tehran, the shrine is where the sister of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Shia Imam, is laid to rest.

Each day, the holy shrine draws thousands of pilgrims and visitors from Iran and some from across the globe. According to available data, 6,427 international travelers from 82 countries visited the shrine during the first eleven months of the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 21.

People from Spain, Poland, Italy, the U.S., Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, France, the Czech Republic, and Brazil constituted the highest number of international visitors to the shrine, a local official said.

In 815 CE, according to legends, Hazrat Masoumeh (SA) traveled to Khorasan from Medina with a large number of her relatives to visit her brother, Imam Reza (AS).

However, the Abbasid Caliph Mamun ordered his men to stop them at Saveh, a town near Qom, which is home to a large Shia population. Mamun's soldiers killed many of her companions in Saveh, where she fell ill. She, therefore, decided to take refuge in Qom.

The Shia Muslims of Qom extended a very warm welcome to Hazrat Masumeh (SA) and his companions upon their arrival in the city. However, she was in critical condition and eventually died in 816 AD.

Earlier, Mamun killed his brothers Hazrat Ahmad ibn Musa (AS) and Seyyed Alaeddin Hossein (AS) in the Fars region.

The second holiest city in Iran after Mashhad is Qom, which is home to many natural and cultural tourist destinations as well as important seminaries and madrasas.

Apart from sightseers and pilgrims who visit Qom to pay homage, it is also a top destination for Shia scholars and students who come from across the world to learn Islamic studies at its madrasas and browse through eminent religious bookshops.

One of the most visited natural spots of Qom is Hoz-e Soltan. It is an eye-catching salt lake in the middle of the desert. The visitors could easily walk in the shallow parts and enjoy the shapes created by the salt, however, the center of the lake could be dangerous, as it is muddy and could easily trap people.

ABU/