Najaf:
Najaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate. It is one of the holiest cities of Shia Islam and the center of Shia political power in Iraq.
Najaf is renowned as the site of the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib (also known as "Imam Ali"), the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad whom the Shia considers to be the righteous caliph and first imam.
The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shi'a Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims.
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