Construction of Imam Ali Mosque

The Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, Iraq, is the shrine of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, whom Shia Muslims regard as the first imam and Sunnis honour as the fourth caliph. It is one of the holiest sites of Shia Islam, and the city grew around it into a major centre of pilgrimage and religious learning. The Buyid ruler Adud al-Dawla had a great shrine built over the tomb in the tenth century. The shrine was later restored and rebuilt several times, and the present building, with its golden dome and minarets, dates largely from the Safavid period and later. Millions of pilgrims visit it every year.

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