Sprawling: Graves stretch away into the horizon at the Wadi Al-Salaam or Valley of Peace graveyard in the Iraqi holy Shiite city of Najaf.
Wadi Al-Salaam, which literally means the Valley of Peace, is an Islamic cemetery located in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq. The cemetery covers an area of 1485.5 acres and contains some five millions bodies, making it the world’s biggest cemetery.
With gravestones stretching out as far as the eye can see, the site is located close to the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet Muhammad’s (SAWS) cousin and son-in-law and the fourth Caliph of Islam.
An estimated 500,000 additional bodies are buried at Wadi Al-Salaam every year, however in recent times the figure has been even higher due to victims of the country’s bitter civil war.
