Timeline for Jamkaran Mosque
A senior cleric blesses Khamenei's coffin
Iran Conflict 2026Background
Jamkaran Mosque hosted prayers beside former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's coffin on 7 July 2026, led by senior marja Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, before the body continued toward burial in Mashhad.
The mosque, in the village of Jamkaran on the outskirts of Qom, has been a place of pilgrimage since the 10th century, when Shia tradition holds the Twelfth Imam, the promised Mahdi, appeared there and ordered a mosque built on the site. It now draws an estimated 15 million pilgrims a year, with the largest crowds on Wednesday nights and on the Mahdi's mid-Sha'ban birthday, when up to two million people are said to gather.
As one of Shia Islam's most visited shrines, hosting the coffin rites there signalled that Iran's post-Khamenei transition sought the mosque's popular religious weight, not just state ceremony, to help legitimise a new Supreme Leader who lacks his own marja credentials.
What is Jamkaran Mosque?
Why is Jamkaran Mosque important to Shia Muslims?
Where is Jamkaran Mosque located?
Why did clerics pray at Jamkaran Mosque over Khamenei's coffin?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 7 July 2026. Editorial standards.