The Heaven of Baqī, the Identity-Cultural Realm of Islam and Shiism, and the Necessity of its Reconstruction from an Anthropological Point of View

This article aims to provide an explanation of the role of Baqī in constructing a common heritage on place and identity from an anthropological perspective. According to this explanation, Baqī is defined as a socially and culturally significant place, where the discourse and politics of religious places are defined, Muslims’ identities are formed, and Muslims regulate their understanding of Islam through the formation and alternation of these places. The main point of this article is the analysis of a place based on the reading of Islam about places. The connection with a place is sometimes clarified through the behaviors and customs of Muslims. Keeping this in mind, one should take note that Wahhabis have always defended their actions regarding the demolition and reconstruction of places. The reconstruction of Baqī as a popular Shiite slogan (that can be called as the remodeling of Baqī) is in fact a call to restore Baqī to its former state during the Ottoman rule as a Sunni empire. This slogan expresses the similarities between the approaches of the Shiites and Sunnis to religious places. It is also a reflection of the relationship between a place and a religious identity. Presenting this view about the destruction of Baqī and the socio-cultural necessity of its reconstruction, from the anthropological and sociological viewpoints, is one of the novelties of this article.