Wadi-us-Salaam

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.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3] Approximately 50,000 new bodies are interred in the cemetery annually from across the globe.[4] 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.[5] Most Iraqi and many Iranian Shi'ites have a relative buried in the cemetery.[6]

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.[7] According to one gravedigger: "I've never had it so busy. Not even after 2003 or 2006 [the height of Iraq's civil war]."[8]

^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Wadi Al-Salam Cemetery in Najaf". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2022-06-27. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. p. 162. ISBN 978-9231000287. 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 ^ "Najaf cemetery witness to Iraq's tragic history". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2022-06-27. ^ "Wadi al-Salam: The world's largest cemetery". Al Jazeera. 7 May 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020. ^ Yasser Tabbaa; Sabrina Mervin (2014). Najaf, the Gate of wisdom. UNESCO. p. 163. ISBN 978-9231000287. ^ Fair, C. Christine; Ganguly, Sumit, eds. (2008). Treading on Hallowed Ground:Counterinsurgency Operations in Sacred Spaces. Oxford University Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0199711895. ^ UNESCOPRESS (19 November 2014). "A new UNESCO publication pays tribute to Iraqi cultural heritage". Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015. ^ "Islamic State: The pushback". The Economist. 21 Mar 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.