Iraq hosts a great number of holy religious sites especially for Shia Islam. One of the most important places is Najaf, where the shrine of Ali can be found. Ali was the son-in-law and one of the early followers of Prophet Mohammad. After the Prophets death Ali was seen as the rightful successor to be their leader, the very first Imam.
Ali was later murdered in Kufa. After his assassination a shrine was built on the edge of Kufa in order to have a place of worship for Imam Ali. That shrine is of such great importance for pilgrims that in the following time a city developed around it – today that city is called Najaf. Also the shrine of Imam Ali is the starting point of the mourning pilgrimage of Arba’in, where about 20 million people march from Najaf to Karbala, where Shia Islam suffered a great loss in battle against the Sunni Dynasty of the Umayyads.
Contents
How to get to Najaf
From Nasiriyah
The drive will take about 3h and costs 15.000 IQD
From Karbala
The drive will take about 0h45 and costs 3.000 IQD
Where to Stay in Najaf
Most of the interesting parts of Najaf are around the Shrine of Imam Ali in the city center. That’s why in makes sense to find a hotel in that area to profit from the atmosphere.
Yaseen Hotel📍 is just in the middle of the souq only a few meters from the shrine. Great location, comfortable beds with good AC. I stayed in a double room for 20 USD.
Al Dur Hotel📍 has a similar location as Yaseen but is more on the upscale part of life. I visited friends who stayed here and can say the hotel has an amazing view from its top level restaurant where who can enjoy a shisha while watching the golden hour above the domes of Najaf. Worth if you can afford to! A Double room is about 100 USD.
Map Of The Best Things To Do
Best Things To Do in Najaf
1. Visit the Shrine of Imam Ali
Obvisouly the shrine is the reason you came to Najaf for, so don’t hesitate and visit immediatly. It is a beautiful construction with shiny mosaics and an impressive golden dome sitting over the tomb. Both the yard and the inside will always be filled with people worshipping Ali. But also just friends and family gathering in the relaxing atmosphere. One big plus is the effort they put in making the shrine a place to stay a while. The yard is covered by large umbrellas that remotely resemble the ones from the Prophets Mosque in Medina. Also they put water sprinklers into the umbrellas so that besides the shade you will also be surrounded by cooled down humid air. Awesome.
To get there you will first of all need to get inside the holy area surrounding the shrine, just like in Karbala. Here you will pass a security check like the ones you know from airports. Inside this area is also where you find my hotel recommendations, the souq and a small fraction of what once was an old town (and is slowly replaced by modern buildings).
Once you pass that first gate you’ll be already in the middle of the traditional Souq of Najaf. I found this one to be particularly charming with a great selection of fresh fruit, handmade juice and above all just so many sweets. Najaf is full of delicious candy, definitely a dangerous city if you are diabetic!
All vendors were super friendly, always up for a chat and never pushy towards making you buy stuff. More of the opposite, you’ll sometimes have to try another one and another one and another one..
Once you get closer to the shrine of Imam Ali there will be another security check. This time you also need to leave most of your belongs like bags and backpacks, also professional cameras were not allowed. It is ok to take your phone though. Unfortunately there have been a few terrorist incidents in the early 2000s making these measures necessary. But don’t be put off. The security personal is very kind and will happily greet you tell you to enjoy your visit.
Good to know
Location: here📍
Cost: free
Opening Hours: all day and night
2. Wander Wadi As-Salam
Just on the edge of the holy area surrounding the Shrine of Ali you will find Wadi As-Salam, the valley of peace. Since early years of Islam especially Shia muslims wanted to be burried nearby the tomb of Ali. The cemetary has been the final resting place for over 5 million people so far. Even today, up to 50.000 people from all over the world chose to be buried here. That means an average of 140 burials per day!
Trivia: During the US invasion of Iraq this number increased to up to 250 burials daily
You can simply walk around the endless maze of tombstones and be an awe about the lovely decorations like domes and mosaics. But to truely grasp the vastness Wadi As-Salam you should walk up to one of the many rooftops along the road at the entrance. There is a bunch of hotels that will gladly lead you up to their rooftops if you ask niceley. Alternatively and without having to talk to someone you can walk up to the top level of this car park here 📍
Trivia: With its size Wadi As-Salam is mentioned as the largest graveyard of the world. It is on the tentative list for UNESCO world heritage
Good to know
Location: here📍
Cost: free
Opening Hours: all day and night
Best view: here📍
3. The Great Mosque of Kufa
Kufa is a city just on the outskirds of Najaf. It is home to one of the oldest continiously used mosques of the world. The Great Mosque of Kufa was built in 638, during the early years of Islam. Imam Ali lived here until his assassination during a morning prayer. After his death, Alis tomb was covered by a shrine as a place of worship outside of Kufa to a place that is now the city of Najaf. His family and companions were buried in tombs inside the Great Mosque of Kufa and are visited by many pilgrims as well.
Already in its early years, Kufa has been an important center for islamtic culture, science and politics. The Great Mosque is the funding place of the Abbasid Caliphate with Kufa being the capitol of the islamic world for a short moment before moving to Samarra and Baghdad later on.
Also the infamous Kufa Script was developed here which was one of the most important caligraphic styles for the arabic writing in history. It was used mainly for decorative purposes on mosques and monuments as well as religious transcripts. For that matter, the edgy Kufa Script can still be found on the walls of many mosques worldwide.
Good to know
Location: here📍 – you can get here by using a local taxi in Najaf for 2.000 IQD
Cost: free
Opening Hours: all day and night
Best view: here📍
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