Najaf (Arabic: النجف‎; BGN: An Najaf) is a ceety in Iraq aboot 160 km sooth o Baghdad. Its estimatit population in 2008 is 560,000 fowk.[1] It is the caipital o Najaf Province. It is widely considered the third holiest ceety o Shia Islam an the centre o Shia poleetical pouer in Iraq.

An Najaf

النجف
Shrine o Ali.
Shrine o Ali.
The location o Najaf (printit in red) athin Iraq.
The location o Najaf (printit in red) athin Iraq.
An Najaf is located in Iraq
An Najaf
An Najaf
The location o Najaf (printit in red) athin Iraq.
Coordinates: 32°00′00″N 44°20′00″E / 32.00000°N 44.33333°E / 32.00000; 44.33333
Kintra Iraq
ProvinceNajaf Province
Elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2008)
 • Total560,000
 Approximate figures[1]
Time zoneUTC+3

Releegious significance eedit

Najaf is renowned as the steid o the tomb o Alī ibn Abī Tālib, kent as "Imām Alī" an aw, the First Imam o Shias, the cousin an son-in-law o the prophet Muhammad whom the Shia consider tae be the righteous caliph. The ceety is nou a great centre o pilgrimage frae throughoot the Shi'a Islamic warld. It is estimatit that anerlie Mecca an Medina receive mair Muslim pilgrims. As the burial steid o Shia Islam's seicont maist important figur,[2] the Imam Ali Mosque is considered bi aw Shias as the third holiest Islamic steid.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

The Imam Ali Mosque is hoosed in a grand structur wi a gowd gilditd dome an moany precious objects in the waws. Nearbi is the Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, reputit tae be the lairgest in the warld.[11] It contains the tombs o several prophets an mony o the devout frae aroond the warld aspire tae be buried here, tae be raised frae the deid wi Imām Alī on Judgement Day. Ower the centuries, numerous hospices, schuils, libraries an Sufi convents wur biggit aroond the shrine tae mak the ceety the centre o Shīʻa learnin an theology.

The Najaf seminary is ane o the maist important teachin centres in the Islamic warld. Ayatollah Khomeini lectured thare frae 1964-1978.[1] Mony o the leadin figures o the new Islamic muivement that emerged in Iraq, Iran an Lebanon in the 1970s haed studied at Najaf.[12]

Hintle o Najaf's heritage wis badly damaged durin the rule o Saddam Hussein, wi a heich-gate bein driven throu the middle o the Wādī'u s-Salām.

Sister ceeties eedit

Relatit pages eedit

References eedit

  1. a b c Ring, Trudy (1996). "Najaf". Global Security. Retrieved 13 September 2009.
  2. a b Never Again! Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine ShiaNews.com
  3. Iran Diary, Part 2: Knocking on heaven's door Archived 2010-09-04 at the Wayback Machine Asia Times Online
  4. Muslim Shia's Saint Imam Ali Holy Shrine - 16 Images Archived 2010-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Cultural Heritage Photo Agency
  5. The tragic martyrdom of Ayatollah Al Hakim calls for a stance Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine Modarresi News, September 4, 2003
  6. Zaman Online, August 13, 2004 Archived 2006-10-28 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Why 2003 is not 1991 The Guardian, April 1, 2003
  8. Iraqi forces in Najaf take cover in important Shia shrine, The Boston Globe, April 2, 2003. "For the world's nearly 120 million Muslim Shias, Najaf is the third holiest city behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia."
  9. Religious rivalries and political overtones in Iraq Archived 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine CNN.com, April 23, 2003]
  10. "Miscellaneous Relevant Links" Muslims, Islam, and Iraq]
  11. Hala Mundhir Fattah; Frank Caso (2009). A brief history of Iraq. Infobase Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 9780816057672. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  12. Mallat, Chibli (2004). The Renewal of Islamic Law: Muhammad Baqer As-Sadr, Najaf and the Shi'i International. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 13 September 2009.

Freemit airtins eedit

Coordinates: 32°00′N 44°20′E / 32.00°N 44.33°E / 32.00; 44.33