Trips have received wide attention over the historical ages, to the point where they have become a widely spread literature. The Arabs showed great interest in travel literature, as it was one of the most enjoyable literary arts and closest to themselves. The importance of travel books lies in the narrative of the traveler's journey, the presentation of historical events accompanied by literary images, strange anecdotes, exciting stories, and wonderful scenes. The traveler reveals the culture of others and expresses their personal experiences encountered during the journey.
The fame of the Alawi shrine and its history of construction occupied the minds of travelers and orientalists who traveled through the regions and documented the construction of the Alawi shrine during different periods. Their writings provided vivid descriptions of the nature of the building, the eras it went through, its main components, and the significance it holds in the hearts of the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
Since travels and travelers are not defined by a specific time period but rather depend on the individual's love for exploration and discovery, our study attempts to uncover the travelers who visited Iraq in the 13th century Hijri/19th century AD. They passed through the city of Najaf and visited the shrine of Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), documenting much of what they saw or heard during their travels in the nearby cities of the shrine. A sample of these travelers and orientalists was selected, such as Madame Dieulafait (1299 AH/1881 AD), Al-Munshi Al-Baghdadi (1237 AH/1821 AD), Monsieur Fontanier (1240 AH/1824 AD), Adrian Dubreuil (1222 AH/1807 AD), the traveler Petermann (1271 AH/1855 AD), and the traveler William Loftus (1256 AH/1840 AD)...
It is noted that the travels of this century were limited compared to the frequent visits of Western travelers to Iraq, which can be attributed to the different circumstances that Iraq was going through during this period.