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. It is a profoundly holy site in Shia Islam.
As the burial site of one of the most important figures in Islam, the shrine is considered by Shia Muslims as the holiest site in Islam after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Ali is considered Muhammad’s rightful successor in Shia Islam. Each year, millions of pilgrims visit the shrine and pay tribute to Ali.
History
Burial Ali was struck by the poisoned sword of Ibn Muljam while leading the dawn prayer in the Great Mosque of Kufa on 19 Ramadan 40 AH. He died on the night of 21 Ramadan 40 AH (661 CE). Before his death, he instructed his sons, Hasan and Husayn, regarding the location of his burial. In accordance with his wish, his grave was kept secret, and its location was known only to the Shia Imams and a small number of their close followers. Ali was buried at night outside Kufa to protect his grave from desecration, particularly by the Kharijites, who were feared to exhume his body. The burial was attended by Hasan, Husayn, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, Abdullah ibn Ja'far, and several other members of his family.
The location of the grave remained concealed for over a century. It wasn't until the 8th century when the grave was revealed by the sixth Shia Imam, Sādiq. It became publicly known during the reign of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, after the decline of the Umayyad chalipate and the dispersal of the Kharijites. Shia tradition also relates that during the governorship of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf over Kufa, approximately 3,000 graves were excavated in an unsuccessful attempt to locate Ali's burial place.
Revealing the tomb During the reign of the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid, he went hunting in the plains near Kufa (present-day Najaf). While pursuing a gazelle, he noticed that his hunting dogs repeatedly stopped chasing it whenever it entered a particular area. Believing the land to be sacred, Harun ordered an investigation, which ultimately led to the identification of the site as the burial place of Ali. This event is regarded as the public discovery of Ali's long-concealed grave.
Construction of the shrine Following the discovery of Ali's burial site, the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid commissioned the first shrine over the grave around 786 CE (171 AH). A decorative panel once displayed beneath a nearby arch depicted a hunter with a bow pursuing a gazelle, commemorating the traditional account of the shrine's rediscovery. The shrine featured four entrances, a white stone zarih, and a dome of red clay topped with a green finial. The shrine was later expanded under the Alid ruler al-Da'i al-Saghir in Tabaristan, when a third structure of remarkable scale, reportedly containing seventy arches, was constructed. Its most significant medieval reconstruction, however, was undertaken by the Buyid ruler Adud al-Dawla, who completed a grand new shrine in the late tenth century. He also founded the city of Najaf, built houses, baths, and markets, encouraged Shia settlement, and endowed the shrine with extensive charitable foundations. Adud al-Dawla became the first ruler to be buried within the shrine complex, in a chamber later known as the Tomb of the Buyid Kings.
The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, who visited Najaf in 1327 CE, described the shrine as a magnificent pilgrimage destination with richly decorated halls, silk carpets, gold and silver lamps, and an ornate wooden tomb covered with elaborately crafted gold panels. He also noted the hospitality extended to pilgrims and students staying in the adjoining religious school. In 1354 CE (755 AH), a major fire severely damaged the shrine, destroying much of its wooden decoration, mirrors, manuscripts, textiles, and furnishings. Among the losses was a celebrated Qur'an written on deerskin that Shia tradition attributed to Ali. The shrine was rebuilt a few years later, while the original Buyid structure largely survived.
The shrine underwent extensive restoration during the Safavid period, beginning with Shah Ismail I after his conquest of Baghdad in 1508 CE. He presented valuable gifts to the shrine, including silk carpets, gilded lamps, and finely crafted wooden chests. During the reign of Shah Abbas the Great, the surrounding courtyard was completed under the supervision of Shaykh Baha'i, and Safavid patronage continued to enhance the complex. A major transformation took place in 1743 CE (1156 AH) when Nader Shah Afshar ordered the shrine's dome and twin minarets, previously covered in green tiles, to be gilded with gold. He also financed extensive repairs, donated numerous treasures that remain in the shrine's treasury, and sponsored decorative tilework that still survives today. His renovations gave the shrine its iconic golden appearance, which has remained one of its defining architectural features ever since. Subsequent Qajar rulers also contributed to the shrine, donating new silver zarihs, regilding the minarets, and carrying out further restorations throughout the nineteenth century.
Modern era In the modern era, the Imam Ali Shrine has undergone extensive restoration and expansion. Major repairs to the shrine, including the mirrorwork of the sanctuary and surrounding halls, were completed by 1953 CE (1370 AH). Today, the shrine features a vast courtyard surrounding the tomb of Ali, which, according to Islamic tradition, is also associated with the burial places of the prophets Adam and Noah. The shrine continues to expand, most notably with the construction of the Lady Fatimah Courtyard (Sahn Fatimah al-Zahra), one of the largest shrine expansion projects ever undertaken in Iraq.
The tomb is covered by an exquisitely crafted teakwood sarcophagus originally donated by Shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty. Over the centuries, it has been repeatedly restored and enriched with decorative elements. The sarcophagus is adorned with Qur'anic inscriptions, including Surah al-Insan, Jawshan al-Kabir, and other verses and traditions relating to Imam Ali. It measures approximately 4.83 × 3.03 × 1.83 meters and is enclosed within a protective glass case installed in 1942 CE during the installation of a new zarih. The shrine also houses numerous precious offerings, including antique jewelry, diamond necklaces, jeweled crowns, and a golden lantern decorated with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and pearls.
1991 uprising During the 1991 uprising in Iraq, the shrine was damaged during attacks by the Iraqi Ba'athist regime. Both the zarih and the wooden sarcophagus sustained damage, traces of which remain visible today.
2003 bombing On 29 August 2003, two car bombs were detonated outside the shrine. The attack killed 95 people crowded around the shrine for Friday prayer, including Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, spiritual leader of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The attack was devastating for the Shia Muslims in Iraq, because such a revered cleric was killed as well as over 90 other people.
In response to the attack, thousands of mourners marched in the streets of cities and towns across Iraq. The mourners, many of whom blamed Saddam Hussein's loyalists for the attack, held anti-Ba'athist protests. Saddam himself released a taped audio message in which he denied having any involvement.
Architecture and decoration Numerous structures have existed over the tomb of Imam Ali since its discovery during the rule of Harun al Rashid in the 8th century. The current structure though dates back to the Safavid period in the 17th century and was designed by the famous polymath Sheikh Bahāʾī. The shrine consists of the central tomb chamber topped by a large double shell onion-shaped dome high, and flanked by twin minarets. 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. 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 golden iwan 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 king Nader 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 of Ali ibn Abi Talib inscriptions chronicling the gilding of the shrine by Nader Shah. The left and right side walls of the shrine are ornamented with cuerda 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.
Around the shrine on its North, East, and Southern sides is a large courtyard surrounded by pointed arch arcades, 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 of Ali Ibn Abi Talib's grave. The original Al-Ras mosque is said to have dated from the Ilhanate 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. 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.Entrance to the shrine is through three main monumental iwans 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 in Manchester, England and brought to the shrine in 1887, this is visible on iron engravings on the bells.
Zarih