Najaf

Worth seeing in and around Najaf

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Imam Ali Mosque

   The Imam Ali Shrine, also known as the Mosque of Ali, is the mausoleum of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the first Shia Imam, and the fourth Rashidun caliph. It is located in Najaf, in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq.

   1.6 km · Holy shrine in Iraq · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Wadi-us-Salaam

   Wadi-us-Salaam is an Islamic cemetery, located in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq. It is the largest cemetery in the world.

   1.5 km · cemetery in Najaf, Iraq · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Great Mosque of Kufa

   The Great Mosque of Kufa, or Masjid al-Kufa, is a Shi'ite mosque and shrine, located in Kufa, in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. Completed in 670 CE, it is one of the earliest surviving mosques in the world.

   7.4 km · mosque in Iraq · Wikipedia
4. 04
   assassination of Ali

   Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Rashidun caliph and the first Shia Imam, was assassinated during the morning prayer on 28 January 661 CE, equivalent to 19 Ramadan 40 AH. He died of his wounds about two days after the Kharijite dissident Ibn Muljim struck him over his head with a poison-coated sword at the Great Mosque of Kufa, located in Kufa, Iraq. He was about sixty-two years of age at the time of his death.

   7.4 km · Fourth Rashidun and first Shia Imam caliph was assassinated by a Kharijite called Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Amr ibn Muljam al-Muradi on 26 January 661, at the Great Mosque of Kufah in present-day Iraq · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Al-Sahlah Mosque

   The Al-Sahlah Mosque is a Twelver Shia mosque and shrine, located in the city of Kufa, in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. The mosque is a holy site in Shia Islam, and it is believed that the mosque was initially established in Kufa as a neighborhood mosque for the followers of Ali, the early members of the Shia.

   6.4 km · mosque in Iraq · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Al-Hannanah Mosque

   The Al-Hannanah Mosque, also known as the Mosque of the Head, is a Shi'ite mosque, located in Najaf, in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. The term "Mosque of the Head" is because the head of Husayn ibn Ali was kept in its middle, while being taken to his opponent Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, according to a hadith attributed to his descendant, Ja'far al-Sadiq.

   700 m · shi'ite Mosque in Iraq · Wikipedia
7. 07
   al-Hamra Mosque

   Al-Hamra Mosque, also known as the Yunus Ibn Matta Mosque, is a Twelver Shi'ite mosque and mausoleum, located in Kufa, in the Najaf Governorate of Iraq. Established in the 7th century CE, it is one of the oldest places of worship in Kufa.

   8.4 km · mosque in Kufa · Wikipedia
8. 08
   Shrine of Kumayl ibn Ziyad

   The Mausoleum of Kumayl ibn Ziyad is a shrine dedicated to Kumayl ibn Ziyad al-Nakha'i, a companion of the fourth Rashidun Caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib. It is located on the metropolis of Najaf and Kufa, Iraq, adjacent to the Al-Hannanah Mosque.

   1.1 km · shrine of a companion of Ali ibn Abi Talib · Wikipedia
9. 09
   University of Kufa

   The University of Kufa is one of Iraqi universities located in Kufa, Iraq. It was founded on December 23, 1987 of only two faculties; Education for Women and Medicine.

   4.9 km · university in Iraq · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Najaf Stadium

    Al-Najaf International Stadium is a stadium in Najaf, Iraq, which opened on 5 May 2018. It is used mostly for football matches, and serves as the home stadium of Al-Najaf FC and Naft Al-Wasat SC. The stadium has a capacity of 30,000 spectators.

    7.5 km · stadium in Iraq · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

Najaf is renowned as the site of the Tomb of Alī ibn Abī Tālib also known as "Imām Alī" the First Imam of Shia's, the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad who is considered to be a righteous caliph by both the Shia and the Sunni. The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shi'a Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims.

1. 01
   Al-Qadisiyyah

   Historical city, infamous as the site of the battle in 636, which saw forces of the Rashidun Caliphate defeat the Persians sent by Rostam Farrokhzad, the dynast of the Sasanian Empire.

2. 02
   Great Mosque of Kufa

   Aside from its architectural significance, this mosque is historically important as the site of the assassination of Imam Ali, in 661 AD (40 AH).

3. 03
   Ruins of Al-Hirah

   Ancient city.

4. 04
   Najaf Heritage Museum
5. 05
   Wadi-us-Salaam

   An Islamic cemetery, it is noted for being the largest cemetery in the world.

6. 06
   Khan

   A historic khan, a type of roadside inn, on the road between Najaf and Karbala.

From Wikivoyage: Najaf, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Najaf

Airports

Al Najaf (NJF), 7 km · Baghdad / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW), 141 km

Stations

Al Najaf International Airport, 7.1 km

• Baghdad → Najaf

  146 km · quickest by road, 2h 38m · $13–18
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• Basra → Najaf

  371 km · quickest by air, 6h 6m · $160–230
  GuideToday
• Kirkuk → Najaf

  383 km · quickest by air, 3h 49m · $130–200
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

  The planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Najaf

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Najaf. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Najaf – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.