Shrine of Husayn's Head

The Shrine of Husayn's Head (Arabic: مشْهد ٱلحُسَين, romanized: Mašhad al-Ḥusayn, lit. 'Mausoleum of Husayn') was a shrine built by the Fatimids on a hilltop adjacent to Ascalon that was reputed to have held the head of Husayn ibn Ali between c. 906 CE and 1153 CE.^[1] It was described as the most magnificent building in the ancient city,^[2][3] and developed into the most important and holiest Shi'a site in Palestine.^[4]

In modern times, it became associated with the Palestinian town of Al-Jura, which sat alongside the ruined citadel of Ascalon.^[5] The shrine was destroyed in 1950 by the Israeli army, more than a year after hostilities ended, on the orders of Moshe Dayan. This was in accordance with a 1950s Israeli policy of erasing Muslim historical sites within Israel,^[6] and in line with efforts to expel the remaining Palestinian Arabs from the region.^[1]