Salman Pak

Salman Pak (Arabic: سلمان باك‎) is a city approximately 15 miles south of Baghdad near a peninsula formed by a broad eastward bend of the Tigris River. It is named after Salman the Persian, a companion of Muhammad buried in the city.

The city overlaps with the ancient metropolis of Al-Mada'in, which includes the ruins of ancient Ctesiphon and ancient Seleucia.

It is also quite close to the Salman Pak facility, an Iraqi military installation which was a key center of Saddam Hussein's biological and chemical weapons programs. The site included training grounds used by Iraqi intelligence to direct Special Operations Forces.

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References

Coordinates: 33°06′N 44°35′E / 33.100°N 44.583°E / 33.100; 44.583

Salman the Persian

Salman the Persian or Salman al-Farsi (Arabic: سلمان الفارسي‎), born Ruzbeh (Persian: روزبه‎‎), was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the first Persian who converted to Islam. During some of his later meetings with the other Sahabah, he was referred to as Abu Abdullah ("Father of Abdullah"). He is credited with the suggestion of digging a trench around Medina when it was attacked by Mecca in the Battle of the Trench. He was raised as a Zoroastrian, then attracted to Christianity, and then converted to Islam after meeting Muhammad in the city of Yathrib, which later became Medina. According to some traditions, he was appointed as the governor of Al-Mada'in in Iraq. According to popular Shia tradition, Muhammad considered Salman as part of his household (Ahl al-Bayt). He was a renowned follower of Ali ibn Abi Talib after the death of Muhammad.

Birth and early life

Salman was a Persian born either in the city of Kazerun in Fars Province, or Isfahan in Isfahan Province, Persia. In a hadith, Salman also traced his ancestry to Ramhormoz. The first sixteen years of his life were devoted to studying to become a Zoroastrian magus or priest after which he became the guardian of a fire temple, which was a well-respected job. Three years later in 587 he met a Nestorian Christian group and was so impressed by them. Against the wishes of his father, he left his family to join them. His family imprisoned him afterwards to prevent him but he escaped.