Sikhism in Iraq

in Baghdad Guru Nanak travelled vast distances in four major journeys with his Muslim Minstrel, Bhai Mardana. During the western Udasi (journey), he travelled across the Muslim world and at one point stayed outside of Baghdad. According to historical sources he held a dialogue with Sheikh Bahlool Dana, a Sufi saint. At some point, a shrine to Guru Nanak was built alongside Bahlool Dana's tomb. ==World Wars==

During both World Wars, Sikh soldiers in the British Army were posted in Iraq. During World War I, the shrine to Guru Nanak was rediscovered by a Sikh captain, Dr. Kirpal Singh, after having been forgotten for centuries. Dr. Kirpal Singh, a captain in the Indian Medical Service of the British Indian Army, located the gurdwara in the west of Baghdad between an old graveyard to the north and the Baghdad Samara railway line to the south. To the local Arab population, the place was known as the Tomb of Bahlol. The shrine was also visited by Sikh personnel during their service in the region, including Lt.-Governor Partap Singh Gill, who visited the gurdwara during WWII. Historic relics at the shrine, including an old plaque with text inscribed in Arabic, existed until the 2003 Iraq war but were looted afterward. In 2007, the Iraqi government expressed a desire to rebuild the shrine. ==References==