An Najaf

An Najaf, also called Al Najaf, city and market center in southern Iraq, capital of An Najaf Governorate, near the western branch of the Euphrates River. The city was founded by the caliph Harun ar-Rashid in the 8th century at what is considered the site of the tomb of Ali, cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. The tomb (977) is now a principal shrine of Shia Muslims. Nearby is Al Kūfah (founded 638), formerly a great cultural center and a capital of the Abbasid caliphate. An Najaf Governorate was created in 1976 from parts of two others: Al Qādisīyah and Karbalā’. During the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, heavy fighting between U.S. and Iraqi forces took place in An Najaf before the city came under U.S. control. Population (1987) 309,010.