Najaf

American  

[naj-af] / ˈnædʒ æf /

Also An-Najaf

noun

1. a city in central Iraq: holy city of the Shiʿites; shrine contains tomb of Ali (around a.d. 600–661), founder of the Shiʿite sect.

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Najaf British  

/ ˈnædʒæf /

noun

1. a holy city in central Iraq, near the River Euphrates; burial place of the Caliph Ali and a centre of the Shiite faith. Pop: 639 000 (2005 est)

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Example Sentences

Born in Najaf, Iraq in 1957 to a prominent Shia cleric who was close to the Islamic Republic's founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Larijani's family has been influential within Iran's political system for decades.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

The interviews for “The Last 600 Meters,” which commemorates the Iraq War battles of Fallujah and Najaf, were conducted in 2007, “while memories were still fresh.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

More than 250 people were taken to hospital in Najaf province, and at least 322 patients including children were sent to hospitals in Diwaniyah province.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2025

He then traveled to a seminary in Najaf, Iraq, for religious studies, but two years later he and other Shiite students and clerics were expelled by Saddam Hussein’s government.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2024

Mirza Najaf Khan then departed once more to Agra, the seat of his administration and his favourite abode.

From Fall of the Moghul Empire of Hindustan by Keene, H. G. (Henry George)