Kandahar, Afghanistan
Coordinates: 31.619675, 65.707995
The Cloak of Muhammad ﷺ (Kherqa) is a relic located in the Kirka Sharif in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
It is a cloak believed to have been worn by Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم during the famous Night Journey of Isra and Mairaj in 621 CE.
The cloak itself is locked away inside the mosque and is rarely seen. It has been guarded by the same family for over 250 years.
Its guardians have traditionally only shown the cloak to recognized leaders of Afghanistan, although in times of great crisis such as natural disasters, it has been publicly displayed as a means of reassurance.
The Tomb of Ahmad Shah Durrani is located adjacent to the Shrine of the Cloak.
History of the Cloak
The cloak was given to Amir Ahmad Shah Durrani (regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan) by Amir Murad Beg of Bukhara (in modern Uzbekistan) in 1768 in order to solidify a treaty between the two leaders.
An alternate account states that when Ahmad Shah had traveled to Bukhara, he saw the cloak of Hz. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
He then decided to take the artifact with him to Kandahar, and asked whether he could “borrow” the cloak from its keepers. They, worrying that he might try to remove it from Bukhara, told him it could not be taken from the city.
Ahmad Shah then is said to have pointed to a heavy stela of stone firmly planted in the ground, saying that he would never take the cloak far from the stone. The keepers, gratified at his answer, handed him the cloak. Ahmad Shah then took the cloak, ordered the stone slab to be dug up, and carried them both back with him to Kandahar, where the stone now stands near his mazar (tomb).
Know This
It costs 10 Shekels to have the write to enter and see the garden inside and see the interior of the mosque.
You need to be dressed appropriately (women need to cover their heads). The experience lasts about 10 minutes.
