Imam Ali Mosque
— — a golden dome above a long line of pilgrims.
Not only on a wall.
“The shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, in the old quarter of Najaf in southern Iraq. The gold-tiled dome and twin minarets rise above the courtyard at the heart of one of Shia Islam's most visited cities. Pilgrims walk the perimeter slowly, often carrying small green cloths. The city itself sits on a low limestone plateau at the edge of the great Wadi al-Salam cemetery, said to be the largest burial ground in the world. The call to prayer reaches the whole quarter at once.
Imam Ali Mosque, on ceramic.
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.
The place, in three passes.
The Imam Ali Shrine, known in Arabic as Haram Imam Ali or al-Haydariyya, marks the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Sunni tradition and the first Imam in Shia Islam, who was assassinated in Kufa in 661 CE. The present complex stands in the centre of Najaf, about 160 kilometres south of Baghdad, on the edge of the Wadi al-Salam cemetery. The shrine has been rebuilt and expanded many times; the surviving dome and much of the present courtyard date to the Safavid period, with major restoration during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and continuing work today.
The dome and the upper sections of the twin minarets are covered in gold-leafed tiles, a finish first applied under Nader Shah of Persia in 1742 and renewed several times since. The interior surfaces of the shrine chamber carry mirror-mosaic and tilework characteristic of Persian shrine tradition, with thousands of small reflecting facets that catch the chandeliers. The outer courtyard, with its iwan gateways, accommodates the very large crowds that gather on Eid al-Ghadir and on the anniversary of Ali's martyrdom on the 21st of Ramadan, when pilgrim numbers in Najaf can reach into the millions.
Najaf International Airport, opened in 2008, sits about 10 kilometres north-west of the city and handles pilgrim flights from Iran, the Gulf states and beyond. The shrine is open to Muslim visitors. Non-Muslim visitors are generally not admitted to the inner sanctum, though policies vary and are best confirmed locally. Photography rules are strict inside the shrine itself. The old city around the haram is closed to most vehicles, and the approach is on foot through covered souks selling prayer beads, dates and the soft Najafi clay tablets used by Shia worshippers. Modest dress is required; women cover the hair.