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 Sunni Rashidun caliph. The shrine is considered by Shia Muslims as the holiest site in Islam after Mecca, Medina, and Al-Aqsa.