Shiite Account of Visitation (‘pilgrimage’) to Holy Shrines of Iraq

This is a fascinating account of an expatriate Shiite’s return to Iraq for religious visitation to the shrines. The narrative of bribing his way past the guards at the Syrian border for $200; the images of chaotic, heavy traffic and drivers driving on the wrong side of the road; the terrifying anecdote about children being kidnapped; the meeting with Grand Ayatollah Sistani; and the heart-rending descriptions of the explosions on Ashura, all make it gripping.