The videos document my pilgrimage from Indonesia to the African continent by land (no airplane!). The route: 1.) Indonesia: Traveling through Sumatran Mountains and Prehistoric Sites 2.) Malaysia: Meeting with the Aborigines of the Malay Peninsula 3.) Thailand: Tracing the Southeast Asian Ancient Empires 4.) Laos: Experiencing the Lao-China Railway 5.) China: Backpacking the Tibetan Plateau to the Edge of the Silk Road 6.) Kazakhstan: First Contact with the Central Asians 7.) Uzbekistan: Pilgrimage in the Land of the Timurids 8.) Tajikistan: Lost in the Fenn Mountains 9.) Afghanistan: Visiting Afghanistan after the Taliban Takeover 10.) Iran: Surrounded by the Ancient Civilization of Persia 11.) UAE: Short Transit in Futuristic Cities 12.) Saudi Arabia: Pilgrimage in the Holy Land of the Muslims 13.) Jordan: Catching a Glimpse of Jerusalem 14.) Egypt: Ending in the Land of Pharaohs
Curated by: Bang Jago (174 videos)
On the 153rd day, I had the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Imam Reza Shrine, the holiest place for Shia Muslims in Iran. Imam Reza (766-818) was the 8th Imam in Shia Islam and his martyrdom is highly remembered by his followers. Shia claims that he was poisoned by Al-Ma'mun, the Abbasid Caliph who was also the son of Harun ar-Rasyid. To cover up his crime, Al-Ma'mun buried Imam Reza next to the grave of Harun ar-Rashid, in Mashhad, as if honoring Imam Reza. Mashhad became the name of this city, which means "place of martyrdom". In fact, there used to be two large cities near Mashhad, namely Tus, 20 kilometers to the north, and Nishapur, about 100 kilometers to the west. However, both were destroyed by Gengish Khan and Timur, while Mashhad was not destroyed because of the presence of Imam Reza's tomb. Many residents of the two ancient cities moved to Mashhad because they felt this city was safer. This is what slowly makes Mashhad the 2nd largest city in Iran. Currently, every year around 20-40 million people make a pilgrimage to this tomb. When I went there it was not peak season, so even though it still looked busy, the complex was actually much quieter. It is said that those who make a pilgrimage to this place can give themselves the title of Mashti, like the title of Haji to those who make a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is even said that rich people make pilgrimages to Mecca, while poor people go to Mashhad. Under the complex there is a large area for pilgrims to study the Quran and pray. There is also access to see the tomb of Imam Reza which is under the golden dome. I felt a high spiritual life in this place. I entered as a poor man and came out as Mashti. From Mashhad I would continue to Tehran. ___ Stage 1 Route - Sumatra (DONE!): Jakarta - Bandar Lampung - Baturaja - Lahat - Pagar Alam - Bengkulu - Lebong Tandai - Kerinci - Jambi - Kuala Tungkal - Batam - Johor Bahru Stage 2 Route - ASEAN Mainland (DONE!): Johor Bahru - Kuala Tahan - Kota Bharu - Su-Ngai Kolok - Nakhon Si Thammarat - Chaiya - Nakhon Pathom - Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima - Phimai - Nong Khai - Vientiane - Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai - Pai - Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai - Boten - Kunming, China Stage 3 Route - China (DONE!): Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Shangri-La - Shambala - Litang - Chengdu - Leshan - Chengdu - Xi'an - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang - Turpan - Urumqi - Almaty, Kazakhstan Stage 4 Route - Central Asia (DONE!): Almaty - Shymkent - Tashkent - Nukus - Muynak - Turtkul - Khiva - Bukhara - Samarkand - Tashkent - Khujand - Fann Mountains - Dushanbe - Kunduz, Afghanistan Stage 5 Route - Afghanistan (DONE!): Kunduz - Samangan - Mazar-i-Sharif - Balkh - Kabul - Bamiyan - Band-e Amir - Yakawlang - Lal - Chagcharan - Herat - Mashhad, Iran Stage 6 Route - Iran: Mashhad - Tehran - Isfahan - Persepolis - Shiraz - Ahvaz - Shushtar - Shush - Shalamcheh Border - Bandar Abbas - Sharjah, UAE *Follow my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/obeysianipar/) for direct messages **Message me for sponsorship --- Music Credits: And Awaken - Stings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.