Wadi al-Salam Cemetery

Wadi al-Salam, the valley of peace, spreads north from the Imam Ali shrine over an area of several square kilometres and is generally described as the largest cemetery in the world, holding millions of burials accumulated over more than fourteen centuries because of the belief that burial near Ali is of particular merit; bodies have been brought here from across the Shia world. What it looks like is a city: brick vaults and domed family tombs built above ground in rows, lanes running between them wide enough for vehicles, some structures several rooms deep with stairs down to burial chambers used by the same family for generations. Gravediggers and tomb builders work here as a trade passed down. Prophets including Hud and Salih are traditionally said to be buried in it.

History

Burials here have gone on daily for over 1,400 years, and burials in Najaf are documented as early as the Parthian and Sassanid eras; the place was once a holy cemetery for Jews called Baniqia, perhaps its first recorded name, and some texts say Abraham stayed in the village on his way from Mesopotamia to the Levant. The cemetery covers about 601 hectares, holds more than 6 million bodies and is on UNESCO's tentative list (Wikipedia, Wadi-us-Salaam).

What's there

• Above-ground vaults - brick tomb chambers built in rows like streets.
• Family mausolea - domed structures used across many generations.
• The scale - burials running to the horizon from the shrine.
• Working gravediggers - the trades that maintain and extend the cemetery.

When to go

November to March; there is no shade at all and summer is dangerous. Mornings are best. Funerals arrive throughout the day and take precedence over any visit.

Good to know

This is an active burial ground, not a monument: funerals are constant and photography of them is inappropriate. It is easy to become disoriented among the lanes. There is no shade, no water and no facilities. A local guide is genuinely useful.

Nearby

The Imam Ali shrine lies south; Kufa is northeast.

Key facts