| Shrine of Imam Ali | |
|---|---|
حَرَم ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ | |
 The shrine, whereAli is believed to be buried | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Shrine |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Najaf,Najaf Governorate |
| Country | Iraq |
  Location of the shrine inIraq | |
| Coordinates | 31°59′45″N44°18′53″E / 31.9959°N 44.3146°E /31.9959; 44.3146 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Shi’i mosque |
| Style | Islamic architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 1621CE |
| Completed | 1630 CE |
| Specifications | |
| Dome | One |
| Dome height (inner) | 42 m (138 ft) |
| Minaret | Two |
| Minaret height | 38 m (125 ft) |
| Shrine | One:Ali ibn Abi Talib |
| Materials | Ceramic tiles; gold; copper |
| Website | |
| imamali | |
| Part of a series on |
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TheImam Ali Shrine (Arabic:حَرَم ٱلْإِمَام عَلِيّ,romanized: Ḥaram al-ʾImām ʿAlī), also known as theMosque of Ali (Arabic:مَسْجِد عَلِيّ,romanized: Masjid ʿAlī), is aShi'itemosque andshrine, located inNajaf, in theNajaf Governorate ofIraq. The site is amausoleum whichShia andSunni Muslims believe contains the tomb ofAli ibn Abi Talib, a cousin, son-in-law and companion of theIslamic prophetMuhammad.
The Shias consider Ali as their firstImam andMuhammad’s rightful successor, while the Sunnis regard him as the fourthSunni Rashid Caliph.[1] According to Shia belief,[2] buried next to Ali within this mosque are the remains ofAdam andNuh (Noah).[2][3] Each year, millions of pilgrims visit the shrine and pay tribute to Imam Ali. The shrine has been built and rebuilt numerous times throughout history.[4]
TheAbbasid caliphHarun al-Rashid built the first structure over the tomb of Imam Ali in 786 CE, which included a green dome. The Abbasid caliphal-Mutawakkil flooded the site in 850, but in the 10th century Abu'l-Hayja, theHamdanidruler of Mosul andAleppo, rebuilt the shrine in 923, which included a large dome. In 979–980, the Shi'iteBuyidemir'Adud al-Dawla expanded the shrine, which included acenotaph over the burial site and a new dome. This included hanging textiles and carpets. He also protected Najaf with a wall and citadel, while providing water from theEuphrates via aqanat.
TheSeljuqsultanMalik-Shah I contributed large gifts to the shrine in 1086, as did CaliphAl-Nasir.
ThevizierShams al-Din Juvayni added facilities to serve the pilgrims in 1267, and the sultanGhazan Khan added the Dar al-Siyada wing for thesayyids in 1303.
Ibn Battuta visited the shrine in 1326, noting that it was "carpeted with various sorts of carpets of silk and other materials, and contains candelabra of gold and silver, large and small." Between the three tombs, "are dishes of gold and silver, containing rose-water, musk and various kinds of perfumes. The visitor dips his hand in this and anoints his face with it for a blessing."[5] A fire destroyed the shrine in 1354, but it was rebuilt around 1358 by theJalairid sultanShaikh Awais Jalayir. He also interred his father's remains,Hasan Buzurg in the courtyard.Timur ordered the restoration of the shrine after a visit to Najaf.Suleiman the Magnificent also offered gifts, which probably helped restore the shrine, after a visit in 1534. TheSafavid ShahIsmail I visited in 1508, but it wasAbbas I who visited Najaf twice and commissioned 500 men to rebuild the shrine in 1623. The restoration was completed by his grandsonShah Safi al-Din in 1632. This restoration included a new dome, expanded courtyard, a hospital, kitchen, and hospice, so as to accommodate the numerous pilgrims. The cenotaph was restored in 1713 and the dome stabilized in 1716.
In 1742,Nader Shahgilded the dome and minaret,[6] and this was chronicled byNasrallah al-Haeri in his famous poem,iḏhā ḍhāmak al-dahra yawman wa jārā (Arabic:إذا ضامك الدهر يوماً وجارا).[7][8] Nader Shah's wife paid for the walls and courtyard to be rebuilt and the retiling of theiwanfaience. In 1745, the iwan was rebuilt as a giltmuqarnas of nine tiers. In 1791, a raised stone floor covered the tombs in the courtyard, creating a cellar space for them.
The first European visitors includedCarsten Niebuhr in 1765,William Loftus in 1853, andJohann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1864.[9]: 79 TheOttoman emperorAbdülaziz rebuilt the Clock Portal (Bab al-Sa'a) and the Portal of Muslim Ibn 'Aqil in 1863 and the former gilded in 1888 by theQajar sultanNaser al-Din Shah Qajar.[9] In 1886, Sultan Naser al-Din, also repaired the dome because there were breaks in it due to the weather.
During the uprising of March 1991, following thePersian Gulf War,Saddam Hussein'sRepublican Guards damaged the shrine, where members of the Shia opposition were cornered, in storming the shrine and massacring virtually all its occupants. Afterwards, the shrine was closed for two years, officially for repairs. Saddam Hussein also deported to Iran a large number of the residents of the area who were of Iranian descent.
In the three years after the2003 invasion of Iraq by theU.S. military, a number of violent incidents occurred at the mosque:
Numerous structures have existed over the tomb of Imam Ali since its discovery during the rule ofHarun al Rashid in the 8th century.[10] The current structure though dates back to the Safavid period in the 17th century and was designed by the famous polymathBaha' al-din al-'Amili.[citation needed] The shrine consists of the central tomb chamber topped by a large double shell onion-shaped dome 42 metres (138 ft) high, and flanked by twin 38-metre-tall (125 ft)minarets.[9]: 88–91 The inner shell of the dome is visible from the inside of the tomb chamber while the monumental outer shell is visible from the courtyard of the shrine and throughout the city.[11] The inside of the tomb chamber and its surrounding halls are ornamented with an array of mirror mosaics, most of which has been replaced over the years and are not original. The ceramic mosaics that adorn the inner shell of the dome however are original and date back to the original construction of the shrine during the Safavid period. At the front of the shrine stands a large goldeniwan flanked by two minarets. The monumental dome, iwan, and minarets are adorned with gold coated copper plates, though they were originally adorned with green and blue ceramic tiles in the typical Safavid fashion. The gilding of the shrines dome and façade elements occurred in 1743 under the orders of the Iranian kingNader Shah Afshar and his wife Razia Begum. The golden iwan, dome, and minarets contains numerous inscriptions in Persian, Arabic, and Azeri Turkish with poems in praise ofAli ibn Abi Talib inscriptions chronicling the gilding of the shrine by Nader Shah.[12] The left and right side walls of the shrine are ornamented withcuerda seca tile panels most of which date from either the 18th or 19th centuries. Imam Ali's shrine is among the last of the Shi'ite shrines in Iraq to retains its nearly full set of original antique tiles.[13][better source needed]
Around the shrine on its North, East, and Southern sides is a large courtyard surrounded by pointed archarcades, while the shrine is linked on the West to the Al-Ra's Mosque. The courtyard arcades are two floors in height and contain various small chambers historically used as dormitory rooms for seminary students, today most are used as administrative offices. The Al-Ras mosque (literally "The Head Mosque") is oriented in the direction of the head ofAli Ibn Abi Talib's grave. The original Al-Ras mosque is said to have dated from theIlhanate period in 14th century however it was demolished in 2005 by the shrine's administration and rebuilt in a modern style using contemporary construction materials and methods. Local architectural historians and preservationists have argued the destruction of the original Al-Ras mosque destroyed an important part of the shrine's architectural heritage and the introduction of modern construction methods and materials has damaged the architectural integrity of the shrine.[11] The original Ilkhanate era mihrab of the Al-Ras mosque underwent restoration in 2023 after having been kept in storage for 18 years and will be put on display in the shrine's museum.[14]
Entrance to the shrine is through three main monumentaliwans on the eastern, northern and southern sides, called the Main or Clock Portal, al-Tusi Portal and the Qibla Portal respectively. There are two additional monumental portals, the Portal of Muslim Ibn 'Aqil, north of the Clock Gate, and the al-'Amara, or al-Faraj Portal, at the southwestern corner. The most notable of these entry portals is the Clock Portal (Iwan-i-Sa'at) and is topped by a tall clock tower ornamented with mosaic tiles. The clock mechanism and its bells were produced inManchester, England and brought to the shrine in 1887, this is visible on iron engravings on the bells.
As the burial site of one of Islam's most important figures,[15] the Shrine of Imam Ali is considered by all Shia Muslims as thefourth holiest Islamic site.[15][16][17][18][19][20]The Boston Globe reported "for the Muslim Shias, Najaf is thefourth holiest city, behindMecca andMedina inSaudi Arabia and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine."[21][22][23] It is estimated that onlyMashhad,Karbala,Mecca, andMedina receive moreMuslim pilgrims.[21][24] Ahadith attributed toJa'far as-Sādiq, theSixth Shī'ite Imām, mentions the site as one of "five definitive holy places that we respect very much".[16]
The site is visited annually by at least 8 million pilgrims on average, which is estimated to increase to 20 million in years to come.[25] Many Shiites believe that Ali did not want his grave to be desecrated by his enemies and consequently asked his friends and family to bury him secretly. This secret gravesite is supposed to have been revealed later during theAbbasid Caliphate by al-Sādiq.[26] Most Shī'ites accept that Ali is buried in Imām Ali Mosque, in the city of Najaf, which grew around the shrine. Many hadiths from the Shia Imams and from Muhammad highlight the importance of pilgrimage to this shrine.
Muhammad:“There is no sword butZulfiqar, and there is no hero but Ali. Whoever visits Ali while he is alive, it is as if he has visited me; and whoever visits him after his death, it is as if he has visited me during my lifetime.”[27][28]
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