Imam Ali Holy Shrine

Ameer Al Moumneen (The Leader of the Faithful) is Ali ibn Abi Talib ibn Abd Al Muttalib Al Hashimi Al Qurashi, cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and his son-in-law. He was born in Mecca on the 13th of Rajab, 23 years before the Hijra, inside the Sacred Kaaba, an honor bestowed upon no one before or after him.

He grew up in the Prophet's care, absorbing his knowledge and character. He was the first male to embrace Islam, and became renowned for rare courage, deep asceticism, and vast knowledge, prompting the Prophet to say of him: "I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its gate."

He assumed the Caliphate in 35 AH following the assassination of Caliph Uthman, and his caliphate became famous for absolute justice and equality, becoming a timeless model to be emulated across the ages.

He was martyred on the seventeenth of Ramadan in 40 AH in the Mosque of Kufa, struck by Ibn Muljam with a poisoned sword while prostrating in the dawn prayer. He surrendered his soul two days later, leaving the nation an immortal legacy, foremost among it the book Nahj Al Balagha (The Peak of Eloquence), considered one of the greatest treasures of the Arabic language.

He was buried in the city of Najaf Al Ashraf, where the Imam Ali Holy Shrine stands today, known as the Haydariyya Sanctuary, considered one of Islam's most sacred sites, visited annually by no fewer than eight million people from around the world.

The noble shrine has passed through successive architectural phases since Imam Ja'far Al Sadiq revealed its location in 132 AH. Harun Al Rashid built it with a red dome, then the hands of kings and princes followed in renewal and expansion, until Nader Shah covered its dome and two minarets with gold in 1156 AH. In 2016, a new gilding of its towering dome was unveiled.

The Alawi Sanctuary is centered on a great courtyard measuring 82 meters long and 77 meters wide, paved with white marble, its walls clad with colored glazed bricks bearing noble Quranic verses, surrounded by 99 decorated iwans (vaulted halls).

The sanctuary itself is a square building covering 176.89 square meters, its walls clad with magnificent mirrors featuring geometric ornamentations and inlaid tiles, its floor covered with luxurious green onyx marble. Above it rises a golden onion-shaped dome 30 meters high and 16.6 meters in diameter, featuring twelve windows symbolizing the infallible Imams. Around it runs a band of blue enamel inscribed in gold with the first ten verses of Surah al-Fath (The Victory). Two golden minarets precede it, each 28.50 meters high, crowned with a golden wreath inscribed with the name of God, a scene of magnificence and majesty befitting the station of the Commander of the Faithful.