Najaf
It is located southwest of the capital, Baghdad, at a distance of 161 km from it. The city is 70 meters above sea level. Linguists and historians agreed that the meaning of Najaf is the high ground that resembles the dike that blocks the water from its surroundings or prevents the torrential water from reaching the houses of Kufa and its tombs. This height that represents the tip of a triangle whose base is Al-Kufa and Al-Hira was called Al-Zahr and its meaning is “high from the ground”. The name Najaf has been linked to the presence of a sea called (Ne) close to its location, and when it dried up they said (Ne-jaf) meaning that the sea “Ne” went dry.
There are four residential neighborhoods in the city: Al-Amara, Al-Huwaish, Al-Buraq and Al-Mishraq.
Najaf Governorate is one of the most important governorates that contain the holy shrines in Iraq, among them are:
Haidariya Shrine:
Historians narrate that Dawood bin Ali al-Abbasi was the first to discover the tomb of Imam Ali, before the year 139AH/750AD.
Also, the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid, who flourished in his era the Arab and Islamic civilization, was the first to view and confirm the location of the holy shrine of Imam Ali, and around the year 170 AH / 786 AD when he was on a hunting picnic in the land of Najaf, as he stopped at Ad-dhakawat Al-Bid, which consist of three heights, in the middle of which is a valley, where the grave of Imam Ali was in place. Consequently, he ordered the construction of a dome of red clay over it in appreciation of his position in the hearts of every Muslim. Then, this sacred spot witnessed, during its long history, urban events worthy of pride, as the caliphs, princes and governors paid huge attention to the pure Haidariya Shrine, which shimmers with majesty from 7,777 pure gold bricks. The two golden minarets are each 35 meters high and contain 40,000 gold bricks.
Kufa Mosque:
Kufa is one of the most important cities in the Islamic world that was established by Muslims since the beginning of the Islamic conquest. It was founded by the Arab leader Saad bin Abi Waqqas in the year 17 AH / 638 AD during the caliphate of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab. Kufa means the assembly and in Arabic, “Takawafa” means gathered, thus it means the gathering of the soldiers, and every sand mixed with gravel is called Kufa.
The historical importance of Kufa is highlighted, as it is the city that Imam Ali took as the capital of the Islamic state in 36 AH / 657 AD. The Jameh Mosque in Kufa is the second oldest mosque in Iraq after the Basra Mosque, which was built during the first Islamic era. The prominent mosque is now erected in place of the main city mosque, which excavations indicated that it was almost square and is currently supported by 28 semi-circular towers. The Kufa Mosque is full with many corridors, shrines of saints, the pulpit of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib and his place in which he was martyred while he was praying Al-Fajr prayer. Adjoining it is the shrine of Muslim bin Aqeel and Hani bin Urwa, which are two independent special buildings of a distinct character, and next to them you find a special courtyard connected to the the Jameh Mosque’s courtyard. The Jameh Mosque in Kufa has received a great deal of care in the field of restoration and maintenance of the shrines it houses, and in rebuilding its old wall.
Dar Al-Imara:
Dar Al-Imara was built in Kufa from the remains of a palace belonging to the Persian kings in the outskirts of Al-Hira. Dar Al-Imara is considered one of the most important features of Kufa, as there are still in place remains of foundations and walls, while we did not discover all its ruins covered mostly by sands. When Saad bin Abi Waqqas founded Kufa in the year 17 AH / 638 AD and chosed its mosque, he designated the space connected to it from the direction of the qiblah to be a palace for his tenure, and then it was known as Dar Al-Imama or the Qasr Al-Imama. This palace witnessed major historical events during the Rashidi era and subsequent historical eras.
It was the home of Kufa’s governors since its foundation during the caliphate of Imam Ali, who refused to take it as the headquarters of his caliphate, taking the Jameh mosque as the center of his caliphate.
The results of the excavations that were carried out at the site showed that Dar Al-Imara consisted of an external wall that included four walls of approximately 170 meters in length and 4 meters in thickness, where each side is supported from the outside by six semi-circular towers, except for the northern side, which is supported by only two towers. The tight and geometric construction of this tower made it protected from external invasion
Dar Al-Imam Ali bin Abi Talib:
When Imam Ali went to Kufa in the year 36 AH, he did not want to take Dar Al-Imara as a residence for himself or his family. Rather, he stayed in his sister Umm Hani’s house, which is a very simple modest house close to Dar Al-Imara and the Kufa Mosque, where it is 100 meters away from the southwestern corner of the Kufa Mosque. In the middle of his sister’s house is found a well of water that is still sweet to the present day, and was not affected by salinity, despite the surrounding groundwater that led to the collapse of part of Qasr Al-Imara. In one of the rooms of this house, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib moved a wounded man from the Kufa Mosque after he was beaten by Abdul Rahman bin Muljam Al-Muradi, and it is in this room where Imam Ali took his last breath before he died, and where he was washed after his martyrdom.
Darb Zubaydah (Iraqi Hajj Path):
This path was established in the Abbasid era, linking Baghdad, the capital of the Islamic State, and the Holy Land. It was narrated that in the era of Abu al-Abbas 134AH/751AD, the needs of the desert traveler were provided, and as water is at the top of these needs, wells were dug, ponds and water tanks were built, and khans were erected for the comfort of travelers, and finally, the road was secured from the attack of tribes and bandits.
This road was built from Kufa through the most water-scarce areas, and eventually, the road became an engineering pride to secure water for pilgrims through the construction of an enormous network of wells and water tanks starting from Kufa to Al-Madina Al-Monawara and ending in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, where camels crossed from one stop to another to get water. Darb Zubaydah is considered one of the greatest good deeds in Islamic history. Its length is 1,300 km, which was paved and supplied with water by Zubaydah, the wife of the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid, to serve the pilgrims of Kaaba who are passing through it from Iraq to Mecca. As a result her good deed, the road was named “Darb Zubaydah”.
Khan Al-Shaylan:
It is a street located in the city of Najaf and built in 1895 AD for the purpose of accommodating the visitors of Imam Ali. It became the seat of the Ottoman local government and then the seat of the British government. In the twentieth revolution, it became a prison for English prisoners, and their writings and memories are still on its walls. However, the Khan has become nowadays a museum that tells the history and heritage of Najaf and Iraq.
Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery:
This cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in the world, as it includes the shrine of the prophets Hood and Saleh, peace be upon them, as well as the graves of a large number of the righteous saints, scholars and believers.
