Najaf

For other uses, see Najaf (disambiguation).
Najaf
ٱلنَّجَف
Najaf al-Ashraf, Baniqia
Metropolis
Imam Ali Shrine
Aerial view of Najaf
Top-bottom, L-R:
Aerial view of the Imam Ali Shrine • Entry to the Imam Ali Shrine • Khan Al Musalla • Statue of Jawahiri • Rural Najaf • Inside Imam Ali Shrine
Map
Najaf is located in Iraq
Najaf
Najaf
Location of Najaf within Iraq
Coordinates: 32°00′00″N 44°20′00″E / 32.00000°N 44.33333°E / 32.00000; 44.33333
Country Iraq
GovernorateNajaf
Founded byHārūn al-Rashīd
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorYusuf Kinawi
Elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2018)[1]
747,261
 • Rank10th[2]
 • Metro
988,000
Time zoneUTC+3

Najaf (Arabic: ٱلنَّجَف), 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.[1] 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.[8] It is the burial place of Muhammad's son in law and cousin, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, and thus a major pilgrimage destination for Shia Muslims. The largest cemetery in the world (Wadi-us-Salaam) and the oldest Shi'a Islamic seminary in the world (Hawza of Najaf) are located in Najaf. Due to Najaf's position as a holy city in Shia Islam, it is also referred to with the honorific name Najaf al-Ashraf (Arabic: ٱلنَّجَف ٱلْأَشْرَف).

  1. ^ a b "Iraq: Governorates & Cities".
  2. ^ "Biggest Cities Iraq".
  3. ^ Cordesman, Anthony H.; Khazai, Sam (4 Jun 2014). Iraq in Crisis. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 319. ISBN 9781442228566.
  4. ^ Cockburn, Patrick (8 Apr 2008). Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq (illustrated ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 146. ISBN 9781416593744.
  5. ^ Pollack, Kenneth M.; Alkadiri, Raad; J. Scott Carpenter; Kagan, Frederick W.; Kane, Sean (2011). Unfinished Business: An American Strategy for Iraq Moving Forward. Brookings Institution Press. p. 103. ISBN 9780815721666.
  6. ^ Robinson, Linda (2005). Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces (illustrated, reprint ed.). PublicAffairs. p. 260. ISBN 9781586483524.
  7. ^ "Ali al-Sistani is Iraq's best hope of curbing Iranian influence. But he is 85 and has no obvious successor". The Economist. 5 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  8. ^ [3][4][5][6][7]