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Wadi-us-Salaam

January 07, 2023

"The Valley of Peace" redirects here. For the Slovene film, see Valley of Peace (film).

Wadi-al-Salaam (Arabic: وادي السلام, romanized: Wādī al-Salām, lit. 'Valley of Peace') is an Islamic cemetery, located in the Shia holy city of Najaf, Iraq. It is the largest cemetery in the world.[1][2] The cemetery covers 1,485.5 acres (601.16 ha; 6.01 km2; 2.32 sq mi) and contains more than 6 million bodies.[3] It also attracts millions of pilgrims annually.[4]

An aerial view of Wadi-al-Salam cemetery

The cemetery is located near the shrine of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia Imam, as well as the fourth Sunni Caliph.[5] Thus, many Shi'ites in Iraq request that they be buried in this cemetery.[5] As a result of improved transportation methods, Shi'ites from across the globe are (or seek to be) buried in the cemetery. However, burial at the cemetery "means being placed in one of the cemetery's many catacombs."[6] According to an undertaker at the cemetery, each crypt can hold up to 50 bodies.[7] The burial plots are controlled by Marja'.[8]

The Shia traditions

 
Maqam al-Mahdi in Wadi-us-salam

Shia tradition holds that Abraham bought land in Wadi-us-Salaam and that Ali said the Wadi Al-Salaam was a part of heaven.[9] Shia also widely believe that Ali has the power to intercede for the deceased—lessening their suffering—during the passage of their soul from the worldly life[10] and if they are buried there "they will be raised from the dead on judgment day with their spiritual leader."[11]

The Shia are encouraged to bury their dead at the location through religious edicts[6] and the cemetery's expansion is also seen as being a result of Shi'isms "more permissive attitude than Sunnism with regard to the commemoration of the dead and the erection of mausoleums."[12]

Some rituals carried out before burial in the cemetery include: the body is washed and wrapped at the cemetery, the funeral prayers are conducted in the Imam Ali shrine, the deceased is carried around the shrine three times, and some Quranic verses are recited at the cemetery.[13]

History

Daily burials have been on going for over 1,400 years and the site is on the Tentative List of UNESCO's World Heritage sites.[14] Burials in Najaf have been documented as early as the Parthian and Sassanid eras and ancient Mesopotamian cities often had similar cemeteries, where there was an accumulation of tombs.[15]

It is estimated that during the Iraq War about 200 to 250 corpses were buried there daily; however, in 2010 this number had decreased to less than 100.[5] Approximately 50,000 new bodies are interred in the cemetery annually from across the globe.[16] This figure is an increase on the approximately 20,000 bodies, primarily from Iran, that used to be interred annually in the early 20th century.[17] Most Iraqi and many Iranian Shi'ites have a relative buried in the cemetery.[18]

As of 2014—coinciding with conflict against ISIL—it has been reported that burial plots are running out, resulting in many being stolen, illegally resold or improvised.[19] According to one gravedigger: "I've never had it so busy. Not even after 2003 or 2006 [the height of Iraq's civil war]."[20]

Holy sites

Prominent burials

Notes and references

  1. ^ Hala Mundhir Fattah; Frank Caso (2009). A brief history of Iraq. Infobase Publishing. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-8160-5767-2. from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
  2. ^ "The world's biggest cemetery". BBC News. 2016-06-12. from the original on 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  3. ^ HOW BIG IS WADI-US-SALAAM CEMETERY? 2015-04-25 at the Wayback Machine, washingtonmonthly.com.
  4. ^ Anthony Ham (15 Sep 2010). Middle East. Lonely Planet. p. 224. ISBN 9781742203591.
  5. ^ a b c "Najaf cemetery witness to Iraq's tragic history - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. from the original on 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  6. ^ a b Qassem Fayyad (19 September 2012). "Wadi al-Salam: A Cemetery to Cleanse Sins". Al-Akhbar English. from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  7. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (28 July 2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. p. 181. ISBN 9789231000287.
  8. ^ George Farag (2007). Diaspora and Transitional Administration: Shiite Iraqi Diaspora and the Administration of Post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. p. 131. ISBN 9780549410034.
  9. ^ Dumper, Michael; Stanley, Bruce E., eds. (2007). Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia (illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 269. ISBN 9781576079195. There is also the tradition that Abraham bought land in the Wadi as-Salaam (Valley of Peace) that runs through the present city, predicting that it would be from here that 70,000 of those buried in the valley would be guaranteed entrance into paradise and would then be able to intercede with Allah for others. Imam Ali is reported to have said that Wadi as-Salaam was a part of heaven.
  10. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (28 July 2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. pp. 162–3. ISBN 9789231000287.
  11. ^ MARIA ABI-HABIB (8 July 2014). "In Iraq, War Strains World's Largest Cemetery". The Wall Street Journal. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  12. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (28 July 2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. p. 162. ISBN 9789231000287. In addition to historical precedence, there are at least two main factors that have contributed to the expansion of cemeteries around Najaf, and specifically in Wadi al-Salam. First, Shi'ism has developed a somewhat more permissive attitude than Sunnism with regard to the commemoration of the dead and the erection of mausoleums...
  13. ^ George Farag (2007). Diaspora and Transitional Administration: Shiite Iraqi Diaspora and the Administration of Post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. pp. 131–2. ISBN 9780549410034.
  14. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery in Najaf". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  15. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (28 July 2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. p. 162. ISBN 9789231000287. Such burial sites are quite common in ancient Mesopotamian cities, where the accumulation of tombs has created mounds on the outskirts of these early settlements
  16. ^ "Wadi al-Salam: The world's largest cemetery". Al Jazeera. 7 May 2019. from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  17. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (28 July 2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. p. 163. ISBN 9789231000287.
  18. ^ Fair, C. Christine; Ganguly, Sumit, eds. (27 Aug 2008). Treading on Hallowed Ground:Counterinsurgency Operations in Sacred Spaces. Oxford University Press. p. 145. ISBN 9780199711895.
  19. ^ UNESCOPRESS (19 November 2014). "A new UNESCO publication pays tribute to Iraqi cultural heritage". from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  20. ^ "Islamic State: The pushback". The Economist. 21 Mar 2015. from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  21. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (28 July 2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. p. 180. ISBN 9789231000287.
  22. ^ Yaghobi, Ebrahim; Yari, Sivash (2012). "Political Structure and Administrative System of Poshtkooh (Ilam) In the period of Valian". Life Science Journal. 9 (4): 3015, 3017. ISSN 1097-8135. from the original on 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-06-27.

External links

  • Satellite photograph of the cemetery
  • Wadi-us-salaam Photos

Coordinates: 32°00′18″N 44°18′54″E / 32.00500°N 44.31500°E / 32.00500; 44.31500

January 07, 2023
wadi, salaam, valley, peace, redirects, here, slovene, film, valley, peace, film, wadi, salaam, arabic, وادي, السلام, romanized, wādī, salām, valley, peace, islamic, cemetery, located, shia, holy, city, najaf, iraq, largest, cemetery, world, cemetery, covers, . The Valley of Peace redirects here For the Slovene film see Valley of Peace film Wadi al Salaam Arabic وادي السلام romanized Wadi al Salam lit Valley of Peace is an Islamic cemetery located in the Shia holy city of Najaf Iraq It is the largest cemetery in the world 1 2 The cemetery covers 1 485 5 acres 601 16 ha 6 01 km2 2 32 sq mi and contains more than 6 million bodies 3 It also attracts millions of pilgrims annually 4 An aerial view of Wadi al Salam cemetery The cemetery is located near the shrine of Ali ibn Abi Talib the first Shia Imam as well as the fourth Sunni Caliph 5 Thus many Shi ites in Iraq request that they be buried in this cemetery 5 As a result of improved transportation methods Shi ites from across the globe are or seek to be buried in the cemetery However burial at the cemetery means being placed in one of the cemetery s many catacombs 6 According to an undertaker at the cemetery each crypt can hold up to 50 bodies 7 The burial plots are controlled by Marja 8 Contents 1 The Shia traditions 2 History 3 Holy sites 4 Prominent burials 5 Notes and references 6 External linksThe Shia traditions Edit Maqam al Mahdi in Wadi us salam Shia tradition holds that Abraham bought land in Wadi us Salaam and that Ali said the Wadi Al Salaam was a part of heaven 9 Shia also widely believe that Ali has the power to intercede for the deceased lessening their suffering during the passage of their soul from the worldly life 10 and if they are buried there they will be raised from the dead on judgment day with their spiritual leader 11 The Shia are encouraged to bury their dead at the location through religious edicts 6 and the cemetery s expansion is also seen as being a result of Shi isms more permissive attitude than Sunnism with regard to the commemoration of the dead and the erection of mausoleums 12 Some rituals carried out before burial in the cemetery include the body is washed and wrapped at the cemetery the funeral prayers are conducted in the Imam Ali shrine the deceased is carried around the shrine three times and some Quranic verses are recited at the cemetery 13 History EditDaily burials have been on going for over 1 400 years and the site is on the Tentative List of UNESCO s World Heritage sites 14 Burials in Najaf have been documented as early as the Parthian and Sassanid eras and ancient Mesopotamian cities often had similar cemeteries where there was an accumulation of tombs 15 It is estimated that during the Iraq War about 200 to 250 corpses were buried there daily however in 2010 this number had decreased to less than 100 5 Approximately 50 000 new bodies are interred in the cemetery annually from across the globe 16 This figure is an increase on the approximately 20 000 bodies primarily from Iran that used to be interred annually in the early 20th century 17 Most Iraqi and many Iranian Shi ites have a relative buried in the cemetery 18 As of 2014 coinciding with conflict against ISIL it has been reported that burial plots are running out resulting in many being stolen illegally resold or improvised 19 According to one gravedigger I ve never had it so busy Not even after 2003 or 2006 the height of Iraq s civil war 20 Holy sites EditGrand Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al Sadr his mausoleum is possibly the most visited in the cemetery 21 Grave of Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al Sadr citation needed Mosque of Prophet Hud The mosque and tomb is located at the middle of the cemetery with its blue dome Prophet Saleh is believed to be buried there as well Maqam Imam Mahdi amp Imam Jafar SadiqProminent burials EditRais Ali Delvari Khalou Hossein Bord Khuni Dashti Sayed Ali Qadhi Tabatabaei Abdul Hosein Amini Leyla Qasim Mirza Yahya Khoyi fa Amina al Sadr Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sadeq Al Sadr Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir Al Sadr Hussein Gholi Khan AbuGhaddareh Vali Wali of Posht e Kuh modern day Ilam Iran and father of the last Vali of Posht e Kuh Gholam Reza Khan 22 Other religious figuresNotes and references Edit Hala Mundhir Fattah Frank Caso 2009 A brief history of Iraq Infobase Publishing p 140 ISBN 978 0 8160 5767 2 Archived from the original on 1 January 2014 Retrieved 18 October 2010 The world s biggest cemetery BBC News 2016 06 12 Archived from the original on 2021 04 16 Retrieved 2022 06 27 HOW BIG IS WADI US SALAAM CEMETERY Archived 2015 04 25 at the Wayback Machine washingtonmonthly com Anthony Ham 15 Sep 2010 Middle East Lonely Planet p 224 ISBN 9781742203591 a b c Najaf cemetery witness to Iraq s tragic history USATODAY com usatoday30 usatoday com Archived from the original on 2014 11 30 Retrieved 2022 06 27 a b Qassem Fayyad 19 September 2012 Wadi al Salam A Cemetery to Cleanse Sins Al Akhbar English Archived from the original on 26 January 2018 Retrieved 29 March 2015 Yasser Tabbaa Sabrina Mervin 28 July 2014 Najaf the Gate of wisdom UNESCO p 181 ISBN 9789231000287 George Farag 2007 Diaspora and Transitional Administration Shiite Iraqi Diaspora and the Administration of Post Saddam Hussein Iraq p 131 ISBN 9780549410034 Dumper Michael Stanley Bruce E eds 2007 Cities of the Middle East and North Africa A Historical Encyclopedia illustrated ed ABC CLIO p 269 ISBN 9781576079195 There is also the tradition that Abraham bought land in the Wadi as Salaam Valley of Peace that runs through the present city predicting that it would be from here that 70 000 of those buried in the valley would be guaranteed entrance into paradise and would then be able to intercede with Allah for others Imam Ali is reported to have said that Wadi as Salaam was a part of heaven Yasser Tabbaa Sabrina Mervin 28 July 2014 Najaf the Gate of wisdom UNESCO pp 162 3 ISBN 9789231000287 MARIA ABI HABIB 8 July 2014 In Iraq War Strains World s Largest Cemetery The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 30 March 2015 Yasser Tabbaa Sabrina Mervin 28 July 2014 Najaf the Gate of wisdom UNESCO p 162 ISBN 9789231000287 In addition to historical precedence there are at least two main factors that have contributed to the expansion of cemeteries around Najaf and specifically in Wadi al Salam First Shi ism has developed a somewhat more permissive attitude than Sunnism with regard to the commemoration of the dead and the erection of mausoleums George Farag 2007 Diaspora and Transitional Administration Shiite Iraqi Diaspora and the Administration of Post Saddam Hussein Iraq pp 131 2 ISBN 9780549410034 Centre UNESCO World Heritage Wadi Al Salam Cemetery in Najaf UNESCO World Heritage Centre Archived from the original on 2018 02 10 Retrieved 2022 06 27 Yasser Tabbaa Sabrina Mervin 28 July 2014 Najaf the Gate of wisdom UNESCO p 162 ISBN 9789231000287 Such burial sites are quite common in ancient Mesopotamian cities where the accumulation of tombs has created mounds on the outskirts of these early settlements Wadi al Salam The world s largest cemetery Al Jazeera 7 May 2019 Archived from the original on 10 July 2020 Retrieved 30 July 2020 Yasser Tabbaa Sabrina Mervin 28 July 2014 Najaf the Gate of wisdom UNESCO p 163 ISBN 9789231000287 Fair C Christine Ganguly Sumit eds 27 Aug 2008 Treading on Hallowed Ground Counterinsurgency Operations in Sacred Spaces Oxford University Press p 145 ISBN 9780199711895 UNESCOPRESS 19 November 2014 A new UNESCO publication pays tribute to Iraqi cultural heritage Archived from the original on 24 April 2015 Retrieved 30 March 2015 Islamic State The pushback The Economist 21 Mar 2015 Archived from the original on 16 April 2015 Retrieved 22 April 2015 Yasser Tabbaa Sabrina Mervin 28 July 2014 Najaf the Gate of wisdom UNESCO p 180 ISBN 9789231000287 Yaghobi Ebrahim Yari Sivash 2012 Political Structure and Administrative System of Poshtkooh Ilam In the period of Valian Life Science Journal 9 4 3015 3017 ISSN 1097 8135 Archived from the original on 2022 06 23 Retrieved 2022 06 27 External links EditSatellite photograph of the cemetery Wadi us salaam PhotosCoordinates 32 00 18 N 44 18 54 E 32 00500 N 44 31500 E 32 00500 44 31500 A Drone flying over the Cemetery http www abc net au news 2016 07 13 drone footage worlds largest cemetery 7625154 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Wadi us Salaam amp oldid 1122556076, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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