Al Khalis

Al Khalis, Khalis or Al Khales is a town roughly 15 kilometers (9 mi) North of Baqubah in one of the six districts of the Diyala Governorate. In the Arabic language, Al Khalis translates to the word pure. The word is derived from the verb Khalasa which translates to "rid off". Al Khalis now is a collection of many neighbourhoods which was built around a tiny farming village known as Alibat. Alibat is a small farming village inhabited by a mix of sunnis and shia whom together coexisted and intermarried each other. Alibat is a compound word which translates to "Ali Sleptover". Ali is the cousin of prophet Mohammed and also the fourth Khalif in Islam. There is no historical record indicating that Ali indeed slept over in the village. The...