The old and less known Shiite seminaries of Hadith and religious teachings in Iraq Syria and Egypt

The Shiites have always dwelled in various areas all over Islamic territory and have held scientific circles there. Sometimes such academic circles expanded with passage of time leading to the creation of a long chain of teachers and students. As a result of such circles, special teachings would be created which were later transmitted to future generations. Through this method Islamic seminaries were merged, some of which lasted for a long time. Distinct schools of thought would be formed in such areas as well. Some of these schools are quite unknown while the others, such as schools of Qum and Kufa, are famous and have had great influence on cultural movements in Shiism. The high and prominent position of the latter seminaries has caused the scholars and contemporary researchers to pay less attention to other, less known Shiite seminaries and schools. This research is aimed at, first reviewing the most important Shiite cities in Islamic world especially the less known Shiite seminaries and then identifying the dominant intellectual trends and efficient figures in each of them. This study can be an entry to the identification of unknown Shiite intellectual schools, their later expansion, and the distinct teachings they have created.