Al Khidr is a mysterious figure known for his interactions with Prophet Musa (Moses) in verses 65 – 82 of Surah Al-Kahf, the 18th surah of the Qur’an. In his work Where the Two Seas Meet, Hugh Talat Halman writes that, “in the Qur’anic story of Moses and the long-lived ‘green man,’ Moses follows al-Khidr on a journey of teaching and companionship that repeatedly tests his patience. In that journey al-Khidr teaches Moses about the mysteries of death, divine justice, predestination, and divine mercy.” Halman continues that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reported that, “al-Khidr was named the ‘green man’ because, when he sat on barren land, the ground would turn green with vegetation.”

1. Victoria & Albert museum, 2. Victoria & Albert museum, 3. this twitter thread. 4. for sale on eBay

Al-Khidr is believed by many to be immortal and there are many places around the world that are associated with him in some way, such as where the Two Seas Meet & the Rock. Ayahs 60 – 65 of Surah Al Kahf lead up to the meeting of Musa and Khidr:

And ˹remember˺ when Moses said to his young assistant, “I will never give up until I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I travel for ages.” But when they ˹finally˺ reached the point where the seas met, they forgot their ˹salted˺ fish, and it made its way into the sea, slipping away ˹wondrously˺. When they had passed further, he said to his assistant, “Bring us our meal! We have certainly been exhausted by today’s journey.” He replied, “Do you remember when we rested by the rock? ˹That is when˺ I forgot the fish. None made me forget to mention this except Satan. And the fish made its way into the sea miraculously.” Moses responded, “That is ˹exactly˺ what we were looking for.” So they returned, retracing their footsteps. There they found a servant of Ours, to whom We had granted mercy from Us and enlightened with knowledge of Our Own.

This website details several possible locations for the junction of the two seas, which you can see below. One popular theory is the Straits of Gibraltar, which is where the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, built in 1997, stands today. According to a hadith from Imam al-Sadiq, the mosque of al-Sahlah in Kufa is the location of the rock near which al-Khidr appeared to Musa, which would mean that the junction of the two seas refers to the junction of Tigris and Euphrates. According to Oxford Reference, Musa and assistant Yusha (Joshua) encountered Khidr at the district of Tilimsan in Algeria.

Shrine of Khidr in Samandağ, Turkey: according to Wikipedia, “it is believed to be the spot where Khidr and Moses met. The shrine is visited by many people from the surrounding areas and neighboring provinces during most of the religious festivals celebrated by the Alawites, [such as] the Hıdrellez Festival.”

Al Sahlah Mosque in Kufa, Iraq: according to a comment by Amina Inloes, “It is narrated in hadith from the Prophet (S) and Imams (A) that al-Khidr is alive and will remain alive until the blowing of the trumpet (i.e. the end of the existence of this realm). It is narrated that he performs the hajj and visits Masjid al-Sahla in Iraq and will be one of those standing with the Mahdi. It is also narrated that al-Khidr came to the family of the Prophet (S) when the Prophet (S) passed away to offer his condolences.” The photos come from here, here, here.

Maqam of Khidr (demolished) on Failaka Island, Kuwait: Failaka used to have a shrine dedicated to Al Khidr, which was demolished in the 1970s. Frey Stark wrote in 1937 that Failichawis would mark the path to the shrine with seaweed. This article speaks of Salha Al Bnaya, “a slave woman from Africa and she never married and devoted herself completely to Al Khidr” by maintaining the shrine.

Maqam al-Arba’in on Mount Qasioun in Damascus, Syria: best known as the place where Cain killed Abel (Genesis 4:1–18:2 and Quran 5:27-31:21), the mountain also houses, “the place from which the spirit of Damascus’ 40 saints (known as the Abdāl) descends every night and ascends with the break of dawn. Two other sacred mihrabs are located on the lower level of the shrine and are believed to be the spots at which Abraham and Al-Khidr prayed respectively during their flight through Damascus.”

Hazrat Khizr Mosque in Samarqand, Uzbekistan: according to this website, “God created the spirit of Hazrat Khizr, 300 years before the creation of the Earth and everything else. When he came upon Khizr in material form, then give him eternal life and made him the rulers of all the water. According to legend, Hazrat Khizr – is immortal, it is lighter than air, but can control his body in the wind, and on the move, hovering slightly above the ground.” The old, Soviet-era postcards were found on ebay.

Various sites in Jordan: according to this publication, there are shrines dedicated to Al Khidr in Mahis, Kerak, Ajlun, and Irbid. They describe Khidr as, “the mysterious, immortal figure whom Musa encounters at the place where the ‘two Seas’ meet (i.e. at the place where the mortal world meets the world of immortal life, as indicated by the incident of the fish coming back to life. Islamic tradition relates that Khidr is one of the blessed figures in history who never died… Idris, Khidr, Ilyas, Isa, Maryam, but were taken to Heaven directly and in their bodies and who thus can return to this world at will.”

Citadel of Aleppo in Aleppo, Syria: according to the World Monuments Fund, “one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Aleppo preserves remnants of more than four millennia of Near Eastern history. The Citadel of Aleppo is a densely layered microcosm of this long and complex history. The Citadel of Aleppo is one of the Middle East’s foremost monuments. Until conflict erupted in 2011, it received hundreds of thousands of visitors, many of whom were from outside the region.” This publication writes that, “just before the third gate is the maqam (place of appearance) of the Islamic saint al-Khidr… who drank the water of life and, from time to time, appears to believers who are travelling or in need. It is no longer known to whom the saint revealed himself in the Citadel.” The images below were found on Facebook.

Cave of Ilyas (Elijah) in Haifa, Palestine: according to Wikipedia, “for centuries, it has been a destination for Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Druze pilgrims. The Cave of Elijah in Allenby Road is divided into two sections for praying, one for men and one for women; the cave is behind a velvet curtain. The Cave is also known as el-Khader in Arabic. The Druze regard it as holy, and many among them identify Elijah as “el-Khidr”, the green prophet who symbolizes water and life.” Both images are old postcards found on eBay.

Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Palestine: according to this website, “the Dome of al-Khidr is a small hexagonal dome built in the 16th Century CE on the far north-western corner of the Dome of the Rock Plateau. This structure marks the spot where some Muslims believe a righteous man, Al-Khidr (عليه السلام), used to pray to Allah.” The photographs come from Wikipedia and Madain Project.

Wely of Sheikh Khidr in Banias, Palestine: this print from the late 1800s in a publication entitled Picturesque Palestine is labeled, “the most easternly source of the Jordan, Banias (Caesarea Philippi). The cliff is of ruddy limestone mingled with basalt. On a platform of the rock stands the wely of Sheikh Khidr (Saint George).” Here is the source of the old photograph. This website writes, “the sacred sites associated with Elijah, George and Khidr over centuries seem to have accumulated worship in various forms, so that one sits quite literally on top of or next to another. The sites often exhibit similar attributes… the presence of water and greenness, suggesting fertility in a barren land; or perhaps a cave, which represents a meeting-place of two worlds, the manifest and the hidden (and on occasion both elements are present, as at Banyas).”

Khidr Mosque in Qom, Iran: this post writes that, “the low height Khidr mountain is located in the southern part of Qom city. There is a mosque with a dome and a minaret at the top of Khidr mountain, which is said to have been built instead of a cave that used to be in this place and was the place of worship of Khidr and other mystics.

Mausoleum of Sultan Mahmud in Ghazni, Afghanistan : According to this website, “Mahmud of Ghazni (971–1030), the first ruler in history to assume the title of sultan, founded the Ghaznavid Empire.” Upon his death, his mausoleum was built in Ghazni. Hugh Beattie writes in his paper Tombs and Footprints: Islamic Shrines and Pilgrimages in Modern Iran and Afghanistan that there is a warm water spring in Kabul known as Cheshmeh Khizr. “The spring is said to owe its existence to Khizr, who struck his staff on the ground here causing the water to flow. When Mahmud halted here on one of his military expeditions, Khizr is said to have appeared to him in a dream and prophesied that the campaign would be successful.” Beattie mentions that visiting the tomb of Sultan Mahmud is regarded as ziyarat.

Al Khidr Mosque in Beirut, Lebanon: this website lists various sites in Lebanon associated with Khidr, one being a historic mosques in Beirut. This article states, “Ali Bitar, who has been the imam of the mosque for the past three years… said it’s named Khodr after Nabi Khodr, the companion of the prophet Moses in Ibn Kathir’s Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyā (Stories of the Prophets).”

Al Khidr Mosque (demolished) in Mosul, Iraq: according to Mosul after the Islamic State, “in the Ottoman period, the cult of Al-Khidr evolved in the al-Mujahidi Mosque (hence also the al-Khidr Mosque). For some Muslims he is a saint (wali); others consider him to be one of the four immortal prophets. The tradition of the al-Khidr Mosque held him to be a prophet, whom one could meet after praying 40 morning prayers. His sacred space, described as a maqam (shrine), was between the prayer niche and minbar. The nineteenth-century author of the ziyarat manual on Mosul tombs and shrines, Ibn al-Khayyat, alterted his readers to the obligation to venerate the prophets’ tombs no matter where and when they appeared.” The images of the mosque come from this source. The mosque was destroyed by ISIS in February of 2015.

Abadan Island in Iran: according to this publication, “the Iranian island of Abadan is known as the Island of Khidr because he once appeared there. He is also believed to live on a tinfisa, a green carpet, in the heart of the sea.” The images come from this article.

Khidr Shrine in Rohri, Pakistan: this post writes that in India, Khidr is known as “Khwaja Khizr, or Pir Badar, or Raja Kidar. Khwaja Khizr is represented as an aged man, having the aspect of a faqir, clothed entirely in green and moving in the waters with a ‘fish’ as his vehicle.” This post gives information about, “his shrine or khanqah… located near the Bakhar Island in the middle of the river in Rohri.” The images come from the blog post and Wikipedia.

Pir Mangho Shrine in Manghopir Town, Pakistan: M.L. Bhatia writes that, “coinciding with the advent of Ismailism in Sindh in 10th century A.D., the supernatural divinity was given a distinct human shape in a Muslim Sufi patron, Darya Shah Zinda Pir popularly known as Khwaja Khizr. The legend of Zinda Pir, which resembles strongly with the Kazaruni Sufis of Iran, originated as a water spirit to guide mariners and travellers on the Indus river and the Arabian sea. Interestingly in the tomb of Mangho Pir, follower of Khwaja Khizr, located near Karachi, crocodiles were shown in painting as a reminder to protect the boatsmen on the river from possible risks.”

Khwaja Khizr Tomb in Sonipat, India and Makan-i-Khizer in Delhi, India: Suneela Ahmed writes that, “Revered by Hindus and Muslims alike, Khawaja Khizr is known by various names: Zinda Pir, Jinda Pir, Jhoolay Laal, Darya Laal, Udero Laal… Another story known to many Muslims is that Khawaja Khizr is the saint who guided Prophet Moses. He is believed to be the righteous man possessing great wisdom, as mentioned in Surah Kahf in the Quran, who taught Moses to be patient and not ask questions.” She also mentions that in his book In City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi, William Dalrymple also mentions a ‘Makan i-Khizer’ (House of Khizr) where it is believed that Khizr could be summoned any time by saints and religious scholars. According to Dalrymple, “The Green One, it turned out, was once celebrated throughout Islam. He was said to be the unseen guide and protector of all Sufis, a mysterious figure who would rescue dervishes lost in the billowing sands of the Sinai or drowning in the Nile or the Oxus. He appeared in the wilderness and, to those who deserved it, he imparted his God-given knowledge.”