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Najaf ((アラビア語:النجف); BGN: ''An Najaf'') is a city in Iraq about 160 km (roughly 100 miles) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 was 560,000 people.〔 It is the capital of Najaf Governorate. It is widely considered the third holiest city of Shi'a Islam and the center of Shi'a political power in Iraq. The city is home to the Imam Ali Shrine, and hosts millions of pilgrims yearly. ==Religious significance== Najaf is considered sacred by both Shi'a and Sunni Muslims. Najaf is renowned as the site of the tomb of Alī ibn Abī Tālib also known as "Imām Alī", the First Imam of the Shiites, the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, whom the Shi'a consider to be the righteous caliph. Sunnis consider Ali the fourth Rashidun (rightly guided Caliphs). The city is now a center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shi'a Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. As the burial site of Shi'a Islam's second most important figure,〔''(Never Again! )'' ShiaNews.com〕 the Imam Ali Mosque is considered by Shiites as the third holiest Islamic site.〔〔''(Iran Diary, Part 2: Knocking on heaven's door )'' Asia Times Online〕〔(Muslim Shiites Saint Imam Ali Holy Shrine - 16 Images ) Cultural Heritage Photo Agency〕〔''(The tragic martyrdom of Ayatollah Al Hakim calls for a stance )'' Modarresi News, September 4, 2003〕〔(Zaman Online, August 13, 2004 )〕〔''(Why 2003 is not 1991 )'' The Guardian, April 1, 2003〕〔''(Iraqi forces in Najaf take cover in important Shia shrine ), ''The Boston Globe'', April 2, 2003. "For the world's nearly 120 million Muslim Shiites, Najaf is the third holiest city behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia."〕〔''(Religious rivalries and political overtones in Iraq )'' CNN.com, April 23, 2003]〕〔("Miscellaneous Relevant Links" ) Muslims, Islam, and Iraq]〕 The Imam Ali Mosque is housed in a grand structure with a gold gilded dome and many precious objects in the walls. Nearby is the Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, which is the largest cemetery in the world. It contains the tombs of several prophets and many of the devout from around the world aspire to be buried there, to be raised from the dead with Imām Alī on Judgement Day. Over the centuries, numerous hospices, schools, libraries and Sufi convents were built around the shrine to make the city the center of Shīʻa learning and theology. The Najaf seminary is one of the most important teaching centres in the Islamic world. Ayatollah Khomeini lectured there from 1964 to 1978. Many of the leading figures of the new Islamic movement that emerged in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon in the 1970s had studied at Najaf. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Najaf」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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