Najaf

Najaf is the capital city of the eponymous Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 was about 1.41 million people. The city holds the Imam Ali Shrine, the burial place of Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, the first Shia Imam and the fourth SunniRashidun caliph. The shrine is considered by Shia Muslims as the holiest site in Islam after Mecca, Medina, and Al-Aqsa.

Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the shrine, with attendance peaking during Arba'in, the largest peaceful gathering in the world. The city is one of Iraq's spiritual capitals, as well as the country's center of Shia political power. The world's largest cemetery, Wadi-us-Salaam, and the world's oldest Shia Islamic seminary, Hawza of Najaf, are also located in Najaf.