Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Najaf, Iraq, Asia

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Najaf, Iraq, Asia

Najaf is a capital city of Najaf Governorate in Western Asian country of Iraq and is considered as one of the holy cities of Shi’a Islam. Najaf is positioned at an altitude of 60 meters and is located between 32°00′00″ N latitude and 44°20′00″ E longitude. According to 2008 Iraqi Census, Najaf had a population of 560,000 and the city is situated about 171 km south of national capital Bagdad.

Tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, The Imam Ali Mosque and Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery have turned Najaf as the 3^rd holiest city among the Islamic countries. Najaf houses one of the most significant teaching centres of Iraq named as ‘The Najaf Seminary’.

History of Najaf:

It is believed that, Najaf was formed by Abbasid Caliph Harun ar-Rashid in 791. Before British conquered Najaf in 1915, it was under the rule of Ottoman Empire and the city suffered from lot of bomb blasts during 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Culture, Cuisine and Shopping in Najaf:

Najaf is a city with full of world famous mosques and historical monuments. Other than mosques, Najaf houses several eminent cultural centres of dance and music. Najaf is home to more than 95% of Muslim population along with fewer percentage of Christian and other communities.

Food at Najaf is similar compared to other regions of Iraq. Non vegetarian items are the most favorite of Muslim citizens of Najaf and they also have interest in vegetarian soups like Fasoulia, Fesenjan and Ghormeh sabzi. One can easily find hotels from the different regions of the world all around the Najaf City.

Najaf is packed with abundance of shopping malls and restaurants. Due to the great demand created for handicraft products by the foreign tourists, there are plenty of handicraft shops in the city with variety of handicraft products to fulfill the requirement of local and foreign tourists.

Connectivity to Najaf:

Najaf is served by Najaf International Airport situated 7 kms away from the centre of the city. There are taxis and buses widely available to reach airport and tourist spots at Najaf City. Najaf has well maintained road infrastructure all over the city and to local travel, taxis and buses are best.

Tourist attractions in Najaf:

Tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib:

Ali ibn Abi Talib Tomb also called as Imama Ali Tomb is a prime attraction of Najaf located in Najaf City centre. It is visited by most numbers of Shia Muslims from the major Arab countries like Kuwait, Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia and is considered as third most sacred place of Shi’a Islam.

Imam Ali Mosque:

The Imam Ali Mosque is a majestic construction with a gold covered dome and many expensive objects in the walls. The Mosque is surrounded by Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, several hospitals, schools, libraries and Sufi convents. It is believed that, the Iranian ruler the Daylamite Fannakhosraw Azod ad Dowleh constructed this Mosque in 977.

The Najaf Seminary:

The Najaf Seminary is one of the major educational institutions located in the city of Najaf and is also a major landmark of Najaf City.

The list of other tourist attractions near Najaf is as follows: