The Largest Graveyard in the World
Wadi us-Salaam (Arabic: واديالسلام) in Najaf, Iraq, is the largest graveyard in the world spanning an area of 1485.5 acres and housing millions of bodies. It is a faith of Shiite and the souls of faithful men and women will rest there.
The cemetery is situated by the near shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Imam of the Shia doctrine. All followers of the Shia belief request to be buried in the same sie as a custom. Every year it is estimated that 500,000 bodies are buried here. The cemetery is heavily guarded by the military, due to the presence of Iraqi militia within the grounds.
Wadi-us-Salaam
Wadi-us-Salaam, also known as the Valley of Peace in Arabic, is located near Najaf, the third-most venerated city in Islam. It is located about 180 kilometers south of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. The mud and clay-built Wadi-us-Salaam has remained calmly in the backdrop for millennia, in contrast to the vibrant metropolis that rises in the foreground. From a distance, the many graves in the enormous necropolis resemble a crowded metropolis that is alive with activity. A closer glance at the graveyard, however, just creates a bleaker picture because it has been silent with the dead interred there for a very long time.
The Valley of Peace is home to up to five million graves (and counting), and is also traditionally significant to Muslims across the world. No matter where the deceased were initially placed to rest, the Shias believe that Wadi-us-Salaam will be the souls’ last resting place. They think that being interred near Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s first cousin and son-in-law, will decrease their suffering in the hereafter. The deceased will rise with their most revered religious leader on the Day of Judgment.
