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An Najaf النجف
Immam Ali's Shrine.
The location of Najaf within Iraq.
Coordinates: 33°20′00″N 44°26′00″E / 33.333333, 44.433333
Country	Iraq
Province	Najaf province
Elevation	34 m (112 ft)
Population (2003)
- Total	585,600
	Approximate figures
Time zone	GMT +3 (UTC)
- Summer (DST)	+4 (UTC)

Najaf (Arabic: النجف; BGN: An Najaf) is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2003 was 585,600 people, though this has increased significantly since 2003 due to immigration from abroad. It is the capital of Najaf province. It is one of the holiest cities of Shia Islām and the center of Shia political power in Iraq. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Image File history File links Meshed_ali_usnavy_(PD). ... Image File history File links Iraq_map_najaf. ... Categories: Stub | Provinces of Iraq ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Timezone and TimeZone redirect here. ... GMT redirects here. ... ... Although DST is common in Europe and North America, most of the worlds people do not use it. ... ... The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing languages such as Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and others. ... The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is an American federal body whose purpose is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the U.S. government. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Categories: Stub | Provinces of Iraq ... Shī‘a Islam, also Shi‘ite Islam, or Shi‘ism (Arabic ) is the second largest denomination of the Islamic faith. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ...

Najaf's religious significance

Najaf is renowned as the site of the tomb of Alī ibn Abī Tālib (also known as "Imām Alī"), whom the Shia consider to be the righteous caliph and first imām. The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shiite Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. For other uses, see Ali (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the religious or spiritual journey. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ...

The Imām Alī Mosque is housed in a grand structure with a gilded dome and many precious objects in the walls. Nearby is the Wādī as-Salām "Wadi of Peace", claimed to be the largest cemetery in the Muslim world (and possibly the largest in the entire world), containing the tombs of several prophets. Many of the devout from other lands aspire to be buried here, to be raised from the dead with Imām Alī on Judgement Day. Over the centuries, numerous hospices, schools, libraries and Sufi convents were built around the shrine to make the city the centre of Shīˤa learning and theology. Many of these were badly damaged during the rule of Saddam Hussein, with a highway being driven through the middle of the Wādī'u s-Salām. Exterior view of Imam Ali Shrine The Imam Ali Holy Shrine (Arabic: حرم الإمام علي), also known as Meshed Ali or the Tomb of Ali, is a mosque located in Najaf, Iraq. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... Wadi-us-Salaam (Arabic; Valley of Peace) is the largest Islamic cemetery, and one of the largest cemeteries in the world. ... Wadi alMujib, Jordan A wadi (Arabic: ) is traditionally a valley. ... Castle Ashby Graveyard Northamptonshire A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. ... The term Judgement Day may refer to: The Last Judgement; the ethical-judicial trial, judgement, and punishment/reward of individual humans (assignment to Heaven or to Hell) by a divine tribunal at the end of time. ... Sufism (Arabic تصوف taṣawwuf) is a system of esoteric philosophy commonly associated with Islam. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ...

Many great Shia scholars both old (such as Sayyid Mohsin Al-Hakim and Sayyid Abul-Qassim Al-Khoei and contemporary (such as Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, and Alī al-Hussaynī as-Sīstānī) studied in Najaf. This city, along with Qom in Iran, is considered the centers of the Shia fiqh "school of faith." Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhsin al-Tabatabai al-Hakim (1889-1970) (Arabic: ‎) was born into a family, the Tabatabai, renowned for its scholarship. ... Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Abul-Qassim al-Khoei (November 19, 1899 – August 8, 1992) was one of the most influential Shia Islamic scholars (marja), and the predecessor to Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al-Husayni Al-Sistani. ... Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (Arabic: آية الله العظمى السيد محمد باقر الصدر ) (March 1, 1935 - April 8, 1980) was an Iraqi Shia cleric born in al-Kadhimya, Iraq. ... Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Husaini al-Sistani Arabic: السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني, Persian: سید علی حسینی سیستانی;. Born approximately August 4, 1930) is an Iranian Grand Ayatollah, a Shia marja . ... Qom (Persian: قم, also known as Qum or Kom) is a city in Iran and the Qom (River) flows through the town. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

History

Imam Ali shrine, Najaf 1932.

The Najaf area was situated near the Sassanid city of Suristan and at the time of the Sassanids was a part of the Middle Bih-Kavad province of Persia. The city itself was reputedly founded in 791 by the Abbasid Caliph Harūn ar-Rashīd. Exterior view of Imam Ali Mosque The Imam Ali Mosque, also known as Meshed Ali or the Tomb of Ali, is a mosque located in Najaf, Iraq. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sassanid Empire at its greatest extent The Sassanid dynasty (also Sassanian) was the name given to the kings of Persia during the era of the second Persian Empire, from 224 until 651, when the last Sassanid shah, Yazdegerd III, lost a 14-year struggle to drive out the Umayyad Caliphate... Suristan was used as a name in two senses during the Sassanid Persian Empire. ... Middle Bih-Kavad was one of the Persian provinces during the Sassanid era. ... Persia redirects here. ... Mashriq Dynasties  Maghrib Dynasties  The Abbasid Caliphate Abbasid (Arabic: , ) is the dynastic name generally given to the caliph of Baghdad, the second of the two great Sunni dynasties of the Arab Empire, that overthrew the Umayyad caliphs from all but Spain. ... For main article see: Caliphate The Caliph (pronounced khaleef in Arabic) is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Sharia. ... Bold textItalic text == Headline text ==He was born a 4 headed man but 3 of his 4 heads died along with all but one of his 90 hearts. ...

Ali ibn Abi Talib instructed that his burial place should remain a secret. He had many enemies, and he feared lest his body might be subjected to some indignity. According to legend, the dead body of Ali was placed on a camel which was driven from Kufa. The camel stopped a few miles west of Kufa, and here the dead body of Ali was buried secretly. No tomb was raised, and nobody knew of the burial place except a few trusted persons. It is narrated that more than a hundred years later, the Abbasid Caliph, Harun al-Rashid, went deer hunting outside Kufa, 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, Harūn ar-Rashīd was told that it was the burial place of Ali. Harūn ar-Rashīd ordered a mausoleum to be built on the spot. In due course, the town of Najaf grew around the mausoleum. Ali ibn Abu Talib (Arabic: علي بن أبي طالب translit: ‘AlÄ« ibn Abu Ṭālib Persian: علی پسر ابو طالب) ‎ (599 – 661) is an early Islamic leader. ... Kufa (الكوفة al-Kufa in Arabic) is a city in Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. ... Bold textItalic text == Headline text ==He was born a 4 headed man but 3 of his 4 heads died along with all but one of his 90 hearts. ... Kufa (الكوفة al-Kufa in Arabic) is a city in Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. ...

Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Najaf experienced severe difficulties as the result of repeated raids by Arab desert tribes and acute water shortages caused by the lack of a reliable water supply. The number of inhabited houses in the city had plummeted from 3000 to just 30 by the start of the 16th century. Ottoman redirects here. ...

The city was besieged by the Wahhabis in the late 18th century. The water shortages were finally resolved in 1803 with the construction of the Hindiyya canal, following which the city's population rapidly doubled from 30,000 to 60,000. Even so, Najaf lost its religious primacy to the Iranian city of Qom in the 19th century and was not to regain it until the late 20th century. Wahhabism (sometimes spelled Wahabbism or Wahabism) is a movement of Islam named after Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab (1703–1792). ... Qom (Persian: قم, also known as Qum or Kom) is a city in Iran and the Qom (River) flows through the town. ...

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 by Sayed Mahdi Al-Awadi and cutting off grain supplies to the Anaza, 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. The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ...

Najaf under Saddam Hussein

Najaf was regarded with suspicion by the Sunnī-dominated regime of Saddam Hussein, which suppressed and restricted Shia religious activities. At the end of the Gulf War in 1991, people revolted against the regime's suppression and the destruction that it led the country into. This was put down by the Iraqi military with severe brutality and damage to the city, damaging the golden dome, slaughtering several innocent people who took refuge in the shrine and causing several others to disappear. Much of the damage was not repaired after several years, which was considered to be a collective punishment. In February 1999, One of Najaf's most senior clerics, Muħammad Sādiq as-Sadr, was assassinated along with his two sons on the way from Baghdad to Najaf - the third killing of Shiite clerics in less than a year. Although the Iraqi government claimed to have caught and executed the supposed killers, there was evidence that Saddam's regime carried out the assassination, especially since it occurred in a country with very tight security and surveillance. One of his surviving sons, Moqtada al-Sadr, has assumed a prominent political role, mostly after the 2003 Iraq war, despite his relative paucity of formal theological credentials. Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr (محمّد صادق الصدر ) (1943? - February 19, 1999) was a prominent, moderate Iraqi Shiite cleric. ... Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr (Arabic: مقتدى الصدر, also transliterated as Moqtada Alsadr) (b. ...

Najaf after the fall of Saddam

During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Najaf was a key target of the invading United States forces. The city was encircled during heavy fighting on March 26, 2003 and was captured on April 3, 2003 by 1st and 2d Battalions, 327th Infantry Regiment, units of the 101st Airborne Division. This article is about the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Category: ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ...

The Imām Alī Mosque, an important shrine in Najaf

The clerical authorities of the Shīa enclave of Saddam 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. Image File history File links Meshed_ali_usnavy_(PD). ... Image File history File links Meshed_ali_usnavy_(PD). ... Exterior view of Imam Ali Shrine The Imam Ali Holy Shrine (Arabic: حرم الإمام علي), also known as Meshed Ali or the Tomb of Ali, is a mosque located in Najaf, Iraq. ... Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... Sadr City (formerly known as Saddam City and Al Thawra) is a vast low-income neighbourhood in northeastern Baghdad, home to some two million Shia Muslims. ... Baghdad (Arabic: ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... The Fall of Baghdad may refer to the following: Battle of Baghdad (1258), the Mongol Empires capture of Baghdad, then the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. ...

On August 29, 2003 a car bomb exploded during prayers outside the Imām Alī Mosque just as weekly prayers were ending. More than 80 people were killed, including the influential cleric Ayatollah Sayyid Muħammad Bāqir al-Ħakīm, the Shīia leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). Dozens of others were injured. Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack - Saddam himself, in hiding at the time, denied any involvement in a taped message. On April 4, 2004, the Mahdi Army attacked the Spanish-Salvadoran-FLARNG base(FOB) in Najaf, part of a coordinated uprising across central and southern Iraq in an apparent attempt to seize control of the country ahead of the June 30, 2004 handover of power to a new Iraqi government. This uprising led to the 1st Armored Division's Task Force 2nd Battalion, 37th Armor (2-37 AR) attached to the 2 Armored Cavalry Regiment (2ACR) arriving in the city in the wake of the Spanish withdrawal. The situation aroused grave concerns among the Shia community of Iraq and Iran, as firefights took place within yards of the Kufa Mosque. Some mosques suffered superficial damage in the process, mostly due to Mahdi Army fighters mishandling explosives stored in the Kufa Mosque. Firefights between the Mahdi Army and Badr Organization took place in May as tensions rose over the Mahdi Army's occupation of the Ali Shrine, looting of the mosques in their control, and illegal prisons and Sharia courts. The Najaf cemetery, the largest cemetery in the world, became a battle ground in May 2004 as M1A1 tanks from 2-37 AR fought Mahdi Army elements on the outskirts of the cemetery. The Mahdi Army stationed several three man rocket propelled grenade RPG teams in the cemetery, who lived in large tombs to avoid detection from U.S. helicopters and UAVs. is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Imam Ali Mosque bombing was the detonation of two car bombs outside of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf on August 29, 2003. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim (Arabic: سيد محمد باقر الحكيم) (b. ... The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) (Arabic: المجلس الأعلى للثورة الإسلامية في العراق ) is an Iraqi political party. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 37th Armor is an armored (tank) regiment of the United States Army. ... Badr Organization (Arabic: منظمة بدر ) (previously known as Badr Brigade or Bader Corps -- not to be confused with the Badr Brigade in the Jordanian Army) was the armed wing of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC). ... An RPG-7 captured by the US Army RPG, or Rocket propelled grenade is a loose term describing hand-held, shoulder-launched anti-tank weapons capable of firing an unguided rocket equipped with an explosive warhead. ... Unmanned Aerial Vehicle over Iraq. ...

In August 2004, fighting broke out again between American troops of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Battalion, 5th US Cavalry Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 7th US Cavalry Regiment, 15th Forward Support Battalion and as-Sadr's Mahdi Army. The battle, which was mostly centered around Wādī' as-Salām Cemetery and the southwestern portion of the city, lasted three weeks and ended when senior Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Alī as-Sīstānī negotiated an end to the fighting. The evening before Sistani arrived in the city, two F-16's, flying out of Balad, dropped four two-thousand pound JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) on two hotels in close proximity to the Imam Ali Shrine. The success of this airstrike dealt a devastating blow to the insurgents holed up in the second holiest shrine in the Islamic faith.

2007 Jund al-Samaa clashes

See main articles: Battle of Najaf (2007), Soldiers of Heaven.

In late January 2007, fighting flared up again in Najaf after Iraqi government and US/UK forces launched an offensive against the Jund al-Samaa ("Soldiers of Heaven") militia, the armed wing of a Shia apocalyptic cult. On January 28, a major battle was fought at Zarqa, a settlement near Najaf. There, the organization was supposedly de facto destroyed, with many hundreds of its members - including the identified leaders - being killed or captured. However, the information released by official Iraqi and US sources is contradictory and incomplete; there are indications that key information (such as the fate of the civilian population or the circumstances of Coalition involvement) is being withheld at present.^{[citation needed]} Combatants Iraq United States United Kingdom Soldiers of Heaven Commanders Othman al-Ghanemi Ahmed Ismail Katte† Dia Abdul-Zahra†[1] Strength unknown 800 Casualties 11-25 killed (Iraqi forces) 2 killed (US) Iraqi estimates of about 263 killed, 502 captured (disputed; see below) The 2007 Battle of Najaf took place... The Soldiers of Heaven or Jund al-Samaa (Arabic: جند السماء) is an armed Iraqi Shia religious group, that is probably considered heretical by most Shias. ... The Soldiers of Heaven or Jund al-Samaa (Arabic: جند السماء) is an armed Iraqi Shia religious group. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... For other uses, see Apocalypse (disambiguation). ... The term destructive cult (sometimes called doomsday cult) is sometimes used to refer to that small number of religious groups that have intentionally killed people, either the group members themselves or others outside of the group. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Iraq United States United Kingdom Soldiers of Heaven Commanders Othman al-Ghanemi Ahmed Ismail Katte† Dia Abdul-Zahra†[1] Strength unknown 800 Casualties 11-25 killed (Iraqi forces) 2 killed (US) Iraqi estimates of about 263 killed, 502 captured (disputed; see below) The 2007 Battle of Najaf took place...

Nonwithstanding the claims that the group's fighting potential was destroyed, the city of Najaf was cordoned off in the following days; on February 2, what is being reported as intense fighting broke out inside the town perimeter^{[citation needed]}. is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Battle of Najaf (2004)
• Battle of Najaf (2007)
• Imam Ali International Airport
• List of places in Iraq

Combatants United States Iraq al-Mahdi Army Commanders unknown Muqtada al-Sadr Strength 2,000 U.S. Marines 1,800 Iraqi Security Forces 2,000+ Casualties 13 killed, 100+ wounded (U.S.) 40 killed, 46 wounded (Iraqi Security Forces) 159 killed, 261 captured The Battle of Najaf was a battle... Combatants Iraq United States United Kingdom Soldiers of Heaven Commanders Othman al-Ghanemi Ahmed Ismail Katte† Dia Abdul-Zahra†[1] Strength unknown 800 Casualties 11-25 killed (Iraqi forces) 2 killed (US) Iraqi estimates of about 263 killed, 502 captured (disputed; see below) The 2007 Battle of Najaf took place... Imam Ali International Airport is an airport currently under construction in the eastern side of the Iraqi city of Najaf. ... This is a list of places in Iraq. ...

External links

• Interactive Guide: Najaf - The Guardian
• Satellite Map of Hazrat Ali mosque in Najaf, Iraq - Google

Coordinates: 31°60′N, 44°19′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...