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| image_alt = | image_caption = Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, among the holiest sites for Shia Muslims| image_flag = | image_seal = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Iraq| pushpin_label_position = left| pushpin_relief = yes| pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Najaf within Iraq| subdivision_type = CountryIraq}}| subdivision_type1 = GovernorateNajaf Governorate>Najaf| leader_title = | leader_name = | area_magnitude = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_sq_mi = | area_water_km2 = | timezone = UTC+332004400region:IQ|display=inline}}| elevation_m = 60| elevation_ft = 200| website = | footnotes = | population_est = 747261| pop_est_as_of = 2018



factoids



}}}}Najaf or An-Najaf or Al-Najaf () or An-Najaf al-Ashraf (), is the capital city of Najaf Governorate in central Iraq about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam and one of its spiritual capitals, as well as the center of Shia political power in Iraq.{{refn|BOOK, Anthony H., Cordesman, Sam, Khazai, Iraq in Crisis, 4 Jun 2014, Rowman & Littlefield, 9781442228566, 319, BOOK, Patrick, Cockburn, Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq, 8 Apr 2008, Simon and Schuster, 9781416593744, 146, illustrated, BOOK, Kenneth M., Pollack, Raad, Alkadiri, J. Scott Carpenter, Frederick W., Kagan, Sean, Kane, Unfinished Business: An American Strategy for Iraq Moving Forward,weblink limited, 2011, Brookings Institution Press, 9780815721666, 103, BOOK, Linda, Robinson, Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces, PublicAffairs, 2005, illustrated, reprint, 260, 9781586483524, registration,weblink NEWS, Ali al-Sistani is Iraq's best hope of curbing Iranian influence. But he is 85 and has no obvious successor,weblink 6 December 2015, The Economist, 5 December 2015, }} It is reputedly the burial place of Muhammad's son in law and cousin, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib. It is also the location of the largest cemetery in the world, (Wadi-us-Salaam), of one of the most important seminaries in the Shi'i Islamic world (Hawza of Najaf), and a major pilgrimage destination for Shia Muslims.

Etymology

According to Ibn al-Manzur, the word, "najaf" (), literally means a high and rectangular place around which water is accumulated, although the water does not go above its level.Ibn Manẓūr, Lisān al-ʿArab, under the word "Najaf". Al-Shaykh al-Saduq appeals to a hadith from Ja'far al-Sadiq, claiming that "Najaf" comes from the phrase, "nay jaff" which means "the nay sea has dried" which gradually changed into "Najaf".Ṣadūq, ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, vol. 1, p. 31."Najaf" is usually accompanied with the adjective "al-Ashraf" (dignified).{{Full citation needed|date=February 2024}} According to the author of al-Hawza al-'ilmiyya fi l-Najaf al-ashraf, this is because 'Ali, one of the most dignified persons, is buried in the city.Al-Ghari or al-Ghariyyan, Hadd al-'Adhra', al-Hiwar, al-Judi, Wadi l-Salam, al-Zahr, Zahr al-Kufa (behind Kufa), al-Rabwa, Baniqiya, and Mashhad are other names for this land.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

History

The area of An-Najaf is located 30 km (19 mi) south of the ancient city of Babylon, and 400 km (248 mi) north of the ancient city of Ur. The city itself was founded in 791 [AD], by the Abbasid Caliph HarÅ«n ar-RashÄ«d, as a shrine to ‘AlÄ« bin AbÄ« Ṭālib.BOOK, Ring, Trudy,weblink International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa, Taylor & Francis, 1996, 9781884964039, 2009-09-13,

Prehistoric and ancient times

(File:Najaf view.jpg|250px|thumb|View of the city of Najaf, ca. 1914)(File:People of najaf.jpg|250px|thumb|Men at Najaf during a religious festival, ca. 1914)File:Najaf-Iraq 1932.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Masjid al-Imam ‘AliMasjid al-Imam ‘AliArchaeological discoveries show the existence of a populace dating back to the 1st century BC. Najaf possesses one of the largest burial grounds in the vicinity for Christians. The centuries following have proven this to also be a city with a multicultural and religious people. Mohammed al-Mayali, director of Inspectorate Effects of the province of Najaf, states "the excavation on the graves, which we have been working on for years, confirm that "Najaf" contains the largest Christian cemetery in Iraq, with a cemetery area of 1416 acres. We have found indications of Christianity on the graves through representations of crosses and stones with Christ-like engravings. There are also relics that date back to the Sassanid period. Also discovered in the excavation was proof of a thriving glass industry. Pots were decorated with the cross. as well as Hebrew writings, indicating a community of religious coexistence."{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}Wadi-us-Salaam in Najaf was a holy cemetery for Jewish and was Najaf called at that time Baniqia, and could be this is the first name of Najaf area.BOOK, A'haron Oppenheimer, Between Rome and Babylon: Studies in Jewish Leadership and Society, Oppenheimer, Nili, 2005, Mohr Siebeck, 9783161485145, 351, Bryan Hill. ["Wadi Al-Salam: Magnificent Ancient Cemetery in Iraq is Largest in the World"], Ancient Origins, 23 July 2018. The name Baniqia also was found in some texts which tell that in one day Abraham visited this village and stayed couple of days, then he continued in his journey from Mesopotamia to Arabia.Brendan Koerner. ["Why Is Najaf So Holy?"], Slate, 27 April 2004.Imam Ali Holy Shrine. ["Baniqia Article ID 4648"], Imam Ali Network.In Islam, the city is considered to have started with Ali who instructed that his burial place should remain a secret, as he had many enemies and he feared that his body might be subjected to some indignity. According to legend, the body of Ali was placed on a camel which was driven from Kufah. The camel stopped a few miles west of the city where the body was secretly buried.BOOK, Farag, George, Diaspora and Transitional Administration: Shiite Iraqi Diaspora and the Administration of Post-Saddam Hussein Iraq, 2007, 9780549410034, 133–4, No tomb was raised and nobody knew of the burial place except for a few trusted people. It is narrated that more than a hundred years later the Abbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, went deer hunting outside Kufah, and the deer sought sanctuary at a place where the hounds would not pursue it. On inquiry as to why the place was a sanctuary, he was told that it was the burial place of ‘Ali. Harūn ar-Rashīd ordered a mausoleum to be built on the spot and in due course the town of Najaf grew around the mausoleum.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}

Medieval and modern history

(File:Najaf 2.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Shoppers in Najaf, 2017)(File:Najaf 4.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A shop in Najaf, 2017)In early 14th century Sheikh Ibn Battuta visited the burial site of Ali ibn Abi Talib during his travels in Iraq after his pilgrimage to Mecca. During this period Najaf was called Meshhed Ali. As Translated by Samuel Lee, Ibn Battuta in his Arabic Rihla relates:BOOK, Batuta, Ibn,weblink The travels of Ibn Batūta;, Lee, Samuel, 1829, London, Printed for the Oriental translation committee, and sold by J. Murray [etc.], 31–33, Ibn Battuta, Samuel Lee (linguist), 11 June 2018, Internet Archive, {{Blockquote|text=We next proceeded to the city of Meshhed Ali where the grave of Ali ibn Abu Talib is thought to be. It is a handsome place and well peopled. There is no governor here, except a sort of tribune. The inhabitants consist chiefly of rich and brave merchants. About the gardens are plastered walls adorned with paintings, and within them are carpets, couches and lamps of gold and silver. Within the city is a large treasury kept by the tribune, which arises from the votive offerings arrived from different parts: for when anyone happens to be ill, or suffer under any infirmity, he will make a vow, and thence receive relief. The garden is also famous for its miracles; and hence its believed that the grave of Ali is there. Of these miracles the "night of revival" is one: for, on the 17th day of the month Rejeb, cripples come from different parts of Fars, Room, Khorasaan, Irak, and other places, assemble in companies from twenty to thirty in number. They are placed over the grave soon after sun-set. People then, some praying, some reciting the Quran, and others prostrating themselves, wait expecting their recovery and rising, when about night, they all get up sound and right. This is a matter well known among them: I heard it from a creditable person, but was not present at one of those nights. I saw, however, several such afflicted persons, who had not yet received, but were looking forwards for the advantages of this "night of revival".}}In the 16th century, Najaf was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Safavid dynasty of Iran maintained continuous interest to this Shia site. During the Ottoman–Safavid War (1623–1639), they were twice able to capture the city, but lost it again to the Ottomans in 1638.Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Najaf experienced severe difficulties as the result of repeated raids by Arab desert tribes and the Persian army with acute water shortages causing lack of a reliable water supply. The number of inhabited houses in the city had plummeted from 3,000 to just 30 by the start of the 16th century.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}}When the Portuguese traveller Pedro Texeira passed through Najaf in 1604, he found the city in ruins, inhabited by little more than 500 people.BOOK, Nakash, Yitzhak,weblink The Shi'is of Iraq, Princeton University Press, 2003, 0691115753, 2009-09-13, This was largely the result of a change in the course of the Euphrates river eastwards in the direction of Hilla, leaving Najaf and Kufa high and dry, leading to the destruction of the local formerly rich agriculture, demise of the palm groves and orchards, followed by the salinization of the underground water due to evaporation.During the 18th century the scholarly life of Najaf came to be dominated by Farsi-speaking ‘Ulema’ (, Scholars) from Iran.Yitzhak Nakash, The Shi'as of Iraq (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994) p. 16The water shortages were finally resolved in 1803 when the Euphrates made its way to the city once again. The shift in the river's flow was the product of a century-long effort by the Ottomans to shift the flow of the river, so as to deprive marsh-dwelling tribes like the Khaza'il of the watery environment that allowed them to evade state control. These long-term efforts rendered successful the construction of the Hindiyya Canal in 1793, which further shifted the flow of the Euphrates. These hydrological shifts were to have religious implications. Most notable was the consolidation and spread of Shi'ism. As the shrine city of Najaf gained access to water again, its notables and holy men began to wield considerable power in the area.JOURNAL, Husain, Faisal, October 2014, In the Bellies of the Marshes: Water and Power in the Countryside of Ottoman Baghdad, Environmental History, 19, 4, 638–664, 10.1093/envhis/emu067, In 1811, the last city wall was rebuilt.JOURNAL, Farhan, Sabeeh, Akef, Venus, Nasar, Zuhair, December 2020, The transformation of the inherited historical urban and architectural characteristics of Al-Najaf's Old City and possible preservation insights, Frontiers of Architectural Research, 9, 4, 820–836, 10.1016/j.foar.2020.07.005, 2095-2635, free, The Ottomans were expelled in an uprising in 1915, following which the city fell under the rule of the British Empire. The sheikhs of Najaf rebelled in 1918, killing the British governor of the city, Sayyed Mahdi Al-Awadi, and cutting off grain supplies to the Anazzah, a tribe allied with the British. In retaliation the British besieged the city and cut off its water supply. The rebellion was put down and the rule of the sheikhs was forcibly ended. A great number of the Shi‘i ‘Ulema’ were expelled into Persia, where they set the foundations for the rise of the city of Qom as the center of the Shi‘ite learning and authority, in lieu of Najaf. Najaf lost its religious primacy to Qom, and was not to regain it until the 21st century, during the establishment of a Shī‘ī-majority government in Iraq after 2003.In the 20th century, much of the Old City was rebuilt in a series of modernization initiatives. Beginning in the 1950s, many historic buildings and monuments, including those adjoining the shrine, were demolished for the construction of Sadeq, Zainulabidin, Rasool and Tousi streets. In 1958, the city wall was torn down and replaced with a ring road. In the 1980s, the entire area between the shrine and the city's western edge was demolished, and the residents resettled outside the city, in what locals perceived as a government reprisal for the Shia uprising under the leadership of Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, who was based in the neighborhood.

Post-Ba'athist period

During the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, Najaf was a key target of the invading United States Forces. The city was encircled during heavy fighting on 26 March 2003 and was captured on 3 April 2003 (Battle of Najaf).The clerical authorities of the Shī‘ī enclave of Sadr City in Baghdad, which claimed autonomy in April 2003, after the fall of Baghdad, claimed to be taking their orders from senior clerics in Najaf.On 4 April 2004, the Mahdi Army attacked the Spanish-Salvadoran-ALARNG base (Camp Golf, later renamed Camp Baker) in An Najaf, part of a coordinated uprising across central and southern Iraq in an apparent attempt to seize control of the country ahead of the 30 June 2004 handover of power to a new Iraqi government. This uprising led to the American troops arriving in the city in the wake of the Spanish withdrawal. In August 2004, heavy fighting broke out again between U.S. forces and Al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.WEB,weblink US troops kill 300 in Najaf raid, TheGuardian.com, 6 August 2004, The battle lasted three weeks and ended when senior Iraqi cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani negotiated an end to the fighting.JOURNAL,weblink End of the siege: The smoke clears in Najaf, Christian Science Monitor, 30 August 2004, The fall of the Ba'athist regime ended restrictions on Shi'ite pilgrimage, which led to a pilgrimage boom in Najaf and increased demand for facilities and infrastructure. In 2006, the government sponsored reconstruction of the previously demolished western area of the city as the City of Pilgrims project.In 2012 Najaf was named the Cultural Centre of the Arab World.WEB,weblink Najaf, Iraq, On 6 March 2021, Pope Francis visited the city during his historic papal visit to Iraq and held an interfaith dialogue with al-Sistani, where he expressed a message of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in the country.NEWS, 6 March 2021, Pope Francis meets Iraq's Shia leader al-Sistani, Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera Media Network,weblink 31 March 2021,

Geography

Climate

Najaf has a hot desert climate, BWh in the Köppen climate classification, with long, very hot summers and mild winters. The average annual temperature is {{convert|23.6|C}}. The rainfall averages 69 mm (2.71 in).{{Weather box



| Jan record low C = -7.2| Feb record low C = -4.5| Mar record low C = 2.2| Apr record low C = 7.0| May record low C = 13.0| Jun record low C = 17.8| Jul record low C = 19.4| Aug record low C = 22.2| Sep record low C = 18.3| Oct record low C = 7.0| Nov record low C = 0.2| Dec record low C = -2.5| year record low C = -7.2



ACCESS-DATE=2016-01-03 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20171010083742/HTTPS://DOCS.LIB.NOAA.GOV/RESCUE/DATA_RESCUE_IRAQ.HTML#O48577960, dead, }}

Religious significance

{{Further|Iraq in the Qur’an}}An-Najaf is considered sacred by Shi'a Muslims. An-Najaf is renowned as the site of the burial place of Muhammad's son in law and cousin, ‘AlÄ« ibn AbÄ« Tālib. The city is now a center of pilgrimage throughout the Shi'ite Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. As the burial site of one of Shi'a Islam's most important figure,Never Again! {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805175642weblink |date=2007-08-05 }} ShiaNews.com the Imam Ali Mosque is considered by Shiites as the third holiest Islamic site.{{refn|weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20020603155002weblink">Iran Diary, Part 2: Knocking on heaven's door Asia Times OnlineMuslim Shiites Saint Imam Ali Holy Shrine - 16 Images {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100905090748weblink |date=2010-09-05 }} Cultural Heritage Photo AgencyThe tragic martyrdom of Ayatollah Al Hakim calls for a stance {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918084430weblink |date=2010-09-18 }} Modarresi News, September 4, 2003Zaman Online, August 13, 2004 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061028164619weblink |date=October 28, 2006 }}Why 2003 is not 1991 The Guardian, April 1, 2003Iraqi forces in Najaf take cover in important Shia shrine, The Boston Globe, April 2, 2003. "For the world's nearly 120 million Muslim Shiites, Najaf is the third holiest city behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia."Religious rivalries and political overtones in Iraq CNN.com, April 23, 2003WEB,weblink Muslims, Islam, and Iraq, Alan, Godlas, www.uga.edu, 2010-10-15,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111006170511weblink">weblink 2011-10-06, dead, }}The Imam ‘Ali Mosque is housed in a grand structure with a gold gilded dome and many precious objects in the walls. Nearby is the Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, the largest in the world.BOOK, Hala Mundhir Fattah, Frank, Caso, A brief history of Iraq,weblink 2010-10-18, 2009, Infobase Publishing, 978-0-8160-5767-2, 140, It contains the tombs of several prophets and many of the devout from around the world aspire to be buried there, to be raised from the dead with Imām ‘AlÄ« on Judgement Day. Over the centuries, numerous hospices, schools, libraries and convents were built around the shrine to make the city the center of ShÄ«Ê»a learning and theology.The An-Najaf seminary, or Hawza Najaf, is one of the most important teaching centres in the Islamic world. Ayatollah Khomeini lectured there from 1964 to 1978.WEB,weblink Najaf, Global Security, 2009-09-13, Ring, Trudy, 1996, Many of the leading figures of the new Islamic movement that emerged in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon in the 1970s had studied at Najaf.BOOK,weblink The Renewal of Islamic Law: Muhammad Baqer As-Sadr, Najaf and the Shi'i International, Cambridge University Press, 2009-09-13, Mallat, Chibli, 2004, 9780521531221, As of 2014, it was estimated to have about 13,000 students.NEWS,weblink Najaf's Shiite seminaries enter 21st century, Al-Monitor, Mamouri, Ali, 8 April 2014, 18 July 2023, Najaf, alongside Karbala, is considered a thriving pilgrimage destination for Shia Muslims and the pilgrimage industry in the city boomed after the end of Saddam Hussein's rule.WEB,weblink Iraq's holy cities enjoy boom in religious tourism, Al Arabiya, 4 April 2013, However, due to the U.S. sanctions on Iran, the number of Iranian pilgrims dropped significantly.NEWS,weblink Iraq's city of Najaf suffers as Iranian tourist numbers drop, The National, 20 February 2019,

Culture

Religious tourism

Shia Muslims put a lot of emphasis on visiting the shrines of the Ahlulbayt and asking for their intercession, namely the heirs of Prophet Muhammad or the Twelve Imams. Najaf, being home to the Sanctuary of Imam Ali, considered the first of the Twelve Imams and the patriarch of the subsequent eleven Imams, is the destination of a large number of Shi’i religious pilgrims annually, hailing from around the world.

Sports

The city of Najaf is home to the Al-Najaf Sports Club that plays in the highest tier division in the Iraqi football league system, Iraqi Stars League.

Najafabad

The Iranian city of Najafabad was named by Shah Abbas the Great in honour of Najaf. According to the legend, Shah Abbas wanted to send a gift containing jewellery and coins to the Shrine of Imam Ali, but as the caravan carrying the gift was traveling towards Najaf it stopped at an area called Dahan near Isfahan, Iran, and refused to move. Following this, Shaykh Baha al-Din, a prominent scholar close to the Shah, relayed to Shah Abbas that Imam Ali himself had manifested to him in a dream and ordered to use the gift to develop the area where the caravan had stopped. Thus the city developed and came to be known as "Najaf Abad". The name literally translates to "City of Najaf" in Persian.

Education

Universities

Some of the universities located in Najaf include:

• Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University
• Islamic University of Najaf
• University of Alkafeel
• Jabir Ibn Hayyan Medical University
• Altoosi University College

Hawza Seminary

Najaf in Iraq and Qom in Iran are today considered the two main hubs of traditional Shia Islamic education, and both have their own separate administrations and curricula. The Najaf Seminary (Hawza) was established by the well-known Shi'i scholar Shaykh Tusi, who is referred to as "Shaykh al-Taifah" or "The Elder of the Sect". Some of the prominent scholars that have graduated from the Najaf Seminary, include Murtadha al-Ansari, Muhammad Kazim Khurasani also known as "Akhund", Mohammed Kazem Yazdi, Abbas Qomi also known as "Al-Muhaddith", Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei and Ali al-Sistani.

Infrastructure

Airport

Najaf International Airport is an important logistical hub that plays a pivotal role in facilitating transportation, particularly for religious tourism. Annually, it oversees the transit of over 3 million passengers, predominantly pilgrims visiting the holy sites in the Najaf governorate. It is situated in the eastern part of Najaf, approximately 6 kilometres from the city center.

Inter-city high-speed railway system

In February 2024, the Iraqi National Investment Commission (NIC) unveiled a project to construct an inter-city high-speed rail network connecting the cities of Najaf and Karbala. Once finished, it is set to accommodate up to 25,000 passengers per hour. WEB,weblink Iraqi government opens two rail project tenders, Railway Technology, WEB,weblink Work on high-speed train project linking Holy Karbala to Holy Najaf to begin soon, ministry says, ShiaWaves,

International relations

Sister cities

As of 2024, Najaf has 3 sister cities:

• {{flagicon|USA}} Minneapolis, United StatesWEB, Najaf, Iraq,weblink minneapolis.org, City of Minneapolis, 2020-06-22,
• {{flagicon|IRN}} Najafabad, IranWEB, خواهر خواندگی شهرهای نجف آباد ونجف اشرف,weblink isfahan.irib.ir, Isfahan IRIB, 2015-04-02, 2020-06-22,
• {{flagicon|IRN}} Mashhad, Iran WEB,weblink Sister cities of Mashhad, Sistercity.info,

See also

• 1977 Shia protests in Iraq
• Al-Hannanah mosque
• Al Najaf International Airport
• Battle of Najaf (2003)
• Battle of Najaf (2004)
• Battle of Najaf (2007)
• Big Four (Najaf)
• Literary League Association

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

Published in the 19th-20th centuries

• {{Citation |publisher = John Murray |publication-place = London |title = Handbook for Travellers in Asia Minor, Transcaucasia, Persia, etc. |editor= Charles Wilson |editor-link=Charles William Wilson |publication-date = 1895 |oclc = 8979039 |chapter=Nejef |isbn = 9780524062142 |chapter-url=weblink }}
• EB1911, Nejef, 19, Peters, John Punnett, John Punnett Peters, 352,

Published in the 21st century

• BOOK, Historic Cities of the Islamic World, C. Edmund Bosworth, 2007, Koninklijke Brill, Leiden, 978-9004153882, Najaf,
• {{Citation |publisher = ABC-CLIO |publication-place = Santa Barbara, Calif. |editor1 = Michael R. T. Dumper |editor2=Bruce E. Stanley |chapter=Najaf |title = Cities of the Middle East and North Africa |year = 2007 |publication-date = 2008 |isbn=978-1576079195 }}

External links

{{Commons category|Najaf}}{{Wikivoyage}}

• Miracles in Najaf
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20050217111847weblink">The Holy City of Najaf (Iraq)
• Interactive Guide: Najaf - The Guardian

{{Districts of Iraq}}{{Authority control}}{{Coord|32.00|N|44.33|E|region:IQ_type:city|display=title}}