Wadi-us-Salaam explained

Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery
Native Name:وادي السلام (Valley of Peace)
Native Name Lang:ara
Pushpin Map:Iraq
Map Size:275
Coordinates:32.0172°N 44.2975°W
Location:2894+CR4, Najaf, Najaf Governorate, Iraq
Country:Iraq
Mapframe-Zoom:11

Wadi-us-Salaam (Arabic: {{wt|ar|وادي السلام, pronounced as /ar/,) is an Islamic cemetery, located in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq. It is the largest cemetery in the world.[1] [2] The cemetery covers 1485.52NaN2 and contains more than 6 million bodies.[3] It also attracts millions of pilgrims annually.[4]

The cemetery is located near the shrine of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Sunni Caliph, as well as the first Shia Imam. Thus, many Shi'ites in Iraq request that they be buried in this cemetery. As a result of improved transportation methods, Shi'ites from across the globe are (or seek to be) buried in the cemetery. However, to be buried at the cemetery, one has to be interred inside one of the shared crypts in the cemetery.[5]

Shi'ite traditions about the cemetery

Shi'ites traditions hold that Abraham bought land in Wadi-us-Salaam, and that Ali had said the Wadi Al-Salaam was a part of heaven.[6] 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[7] and if they are buried there, they will be raised from the dead on judgment day with their spiritual leader.[8] Additionally, it is believed that prophets Hud and Salih are buried here, according to some narrations.

Shi'ites are encouraged to bury their dead at the location through religious edicts[5] 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."[9]

Shi'ite funerary rituals

Religious rituals practiced at Wadi-us-Salaam before burial include:

  1. Washing the body and wrapping it at the cemetery.
  2. Conducting funeral prayers at the adjacent shrine of Ali.
  3. Carrying the freshly wrapped corpse around the shrine, in an act similar to that of Tawaf, before it is transported to the cemetery.
  4. Reciting some Qur'anic verses at the cemetery for the deceased.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

The cemetery saw heavy fighting during the 2004 Battle of Najaf. 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.[13] Approximately 50,000 new bodies are interred in the cemetery annually from across the globe.[14] 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.[15] Most Iraqi and many Iranian Shi'ites have a relative buried in the cemetery.[16]

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.[17] According to one gravedigger: "I've never had it so busy. Not even after 2003 or 2006 [the height of [[Civil war in Iraq (2006–07)|Iraq's civil war]]]."[18]

Important monuments

Tombs of the Grand Ayatollahs

The Grand Ayatollah, Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, is buried in this cemetery. His successor, Muhammad-Sadiq al-Sadr is also buried there, and his grave is one of the most visited tombs in the cemetery.[19]

Shrine of Prophet Hud and Salih

See main article: Shrine of Prophet Hud and Salih. First built in the 18th century under request of Moḥammad Mahdī Baḥr al-ʿUlūm over the purported tombs of Hud and Salih based on Shi'ite narrations. It was restored in the years 1918 to 1919 after the British desecrated it in 1917.[20] A full new reconstruction was started in 2018.

Site of Imam al-Mahdi

Site dedicated to Imam al-Mahdi.

Site of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq

Site dedicated to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq.

Prominent burials

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hala Mundhir Fattah. Frank Caso. A brief history of Iraq. 18 October 2010. 2009. Infobase Publishing. 978-0816057672. 140. 1 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140101065445/http://books.google.com/books?id=Q_-hrXU-mWYC&pg=PA140. live.
  2. News: 2016-06-12 . The world's biggest cemetery . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-06-27 . 2021-04-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210416072741/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-36688600 . live .
  3. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2004_08/004514.php How Big is Wadi-Us-Salaam Cemetery?
  4. Book: Anthony Ham. Middle East. 2010. Lonely Planet. 978-1742203591. 224.
  5. News: Qassem Fayyad. Wadi al-Salam: A Cemetery to Cleanse Sins. 29 March 2015. Al-Akhbar English. 19 September 2012. 26 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180126070943/http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/wadi-al-salam-cemetery-cleanse-sins#comment-41087. live.
  6. Book: Dumper. Michael. Stanley. Bruce E.. Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia. 2007. ABC-CLIO. 978-1576079195. 269. illustrated. 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..
  7. Book: Yasser Tabbaa. Sabrina Mervin. Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. 2014. UNESCO. 978-9231000287. 162–163.
  8. News: Maria Abi-Habib. In Iraq, War Strains World's Largest Cemetery. 30 March 2015. The Wall Street Journal. 8 July 2014. 2 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402164941/http://www.wsj.com/articles/iraq-insurgency-puts-strains-on-massive-cemetery-1404868672. live.
  9. Book: Yasser Tabbaa. Sabrina Mervin. Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. 2014. UNESCO. 978-9231000287. 162. 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....
  10. Book: George Farag. Diaspora and Transitional Administration: Shiite Iraqi Diaspora and the Administration of Post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. 2007. 978-0549410034. 131–132.
  11. Web site: Centre . UNESCO World Heritage . Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery in Najaf . 2022-06-27 . UNESCO World Heritage Centre . en . 2018-02-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180221/http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5578/ . live .
  12. Book: Yasser Tabbaa. Sabrina Mervin. Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. 2014. UNESCO. 978-9231000287. 162. 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.
  13. Web site: Najaf cemetery witness to Iraq's tragic history . 2022-06-27 . usatoday30.usatoday.com . 2014-11-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141130004547/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-05-25-cemetery-iraq_N.htm . live .
  14. News: Wadi al-Salam: The world's largest cemetery. 30 July 2020. Al Jazeera. 7 May 2019. 10 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200710083246/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/wadi-al-salam-worlds-largest-cemetery-190507134850459.html. live.
  15. Book: Yasser Tabbaa. Sabrina Mervin. Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. 2014. UNESCO. 978-9231000287. 163.
  16. Book: Fair. C. Christine. Ganguly. Sumit. Treading on Hallowed Ground:Counterinsurgency Operations in Sacred Spaces. 2008. Oxford University Press. 978-0199711895. 145.
  17. Web site: UNESCOPRESS. A new UNESCO publication pays tribute to Iraqi cultural heritage. 30 March 2015. 19 November 2014. 24 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150424214819/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/a_new_unesco_publication_pays_tribute_to_iraqi_cultural_heritage/#.VRiesvyUeSo. live.
  18. News: Islamic State: The pushback. 22 April 2015. The Economist. 21 Mar 2015. 16 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150416044520/http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21646752-sustaining-caliphate-turns-out-be-much-harder-declaring-one-islamic-state-not. live.
  19. Book: Yasser Tabbaa. Sabrina Mervin. Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. 2014. UNESCO. 978-9231000287. 180.
  20. Qa'idan, 'Atabat-i 'Aliyat-i 'Iraq, page 50
  21. 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. 1097-8135. 2022-06-27. 2022-06-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20220623070411/http://www.lifesciencesite.com/. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wadi-us-Salaam".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.