Imām 'Alī Shrine

The Imam Ali Shrine at Najaf, near Kufa in Iraq, is the foremost Shia sanctuary, holding the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, fourth Rashidun caliph and first Shia Imam. Ali was assassinated in Kufa in 661 and buried in secret at the desert spot that grew into Najaf. In 786 the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid raised the first domed shrine over his grave.

The caliph al-Mutawakkil destroyed the sanctuary in 850, but the Hamdanids rebuilt it in 923 and the Buyid emir Adud al-Dawla enlarged it in 979. Fire gutted the shrine in 1354 and it was rebuilt around 1358.

The Safavid shah Abbas I began reconstruction in 1623, finished under Shah Safi in 1632. In 1742 Nader Shah gilded its dome and minarets, giving it the golden skyline that drew Shia pilgrims from across the region.