[8] It is the burial place of Muhammad's son in law and cousin, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, and thus a major pilgrimage destination for Shia Muslims.

Al-Ghari or al-Ghariyyan, Hadd al-'Adhra', al-Hiwar, al-Judi, Wadi l-Salam, al-Zahr, Zahr al-Kufa (behind Kufa), al-Rabwa, Baniqiya, and Mashhad are other names for this land.

The city itself was founded in 791 AD, by the Abbasid Caliph Harūn ar-Rashīd, as a shrine to ‘Alī bin Abī Ṭālib.

"[citation needed] Wadi-us-Salaam in Najaf was once a holy cemetery for Jews and was then called Baniqia, which could be the first recorded name for the area.

[12] [13] The name Baniqia also was found in some texts which state that Abraham once visited and stayed in this village before continuing his journey from Mesopotamia to Arabia.

[14][15] In Islam, the city is considered to have started with Ali who instructed that his burial place should remain a secret, as he had many enemies and he feared that his body might be subjected to some indignity.

Within the city is a large treasury kept by the tribune, which arises from the votive offerings arrived from different parts: for when anyone happens to be ill, or suffer under any infirmity, he will make a vow, and thence receive relief.

Of these miracles, the "night of revival" is one: for, on the 17th day of the month Rejeb, cripples come from different parts of Fars, Room, Khorasaan, Irak, and other places, assemble in companies from twenty to thirty in number.

I saw, however, several such afflicted persons, who had not yet received, but were looking forward for the advantages of this "night of revival".In the 16th century, Najaf was conquered by the Ottoman Empire.

[citation needed] When the Portuguese traveller Pedro Texeira passed through Najaf in 1604, he found the city in ruins, inhabited by little more than 500 people.

[18] This was largely the result of a change in the course of the Euphrates river eastwards in the direction of Hilla, leaving Najaf and Kufa high and dry, leading to the destruction of the local formerly rich agriculture, demise of the palm groves and orchards, followed by the salinization of the underground water due to evaporation.

As the shrine city of Najaf gained access to water again, its notables and holy men began to wield considerable power in the area.

Najaf lost its religious primacy to Qom, and was not to regain it until the 21st century, during the establishment of a Shī‘ī-majority government in Iraq after 2003.

Beginning in the 1950s, many historic buildings and monuments, including those adjoining the shrine, were demolished for the construction of Sadeq, Zainulabidin, Rasool and Tousi streets.

On 4 April 2004, the Mahdi Army attacked the Spanish-Salvadoran-ALARNG base (Camp Golf, later renamed Camp Baker) in An Najaf, part of a coordinated uprising across central and southern Iraq in an apparent attempt to seize control of the country ahead of the 30 June 2004 handover of power to a new Iraqi government.

[26] Many Iraqis including religious minorities such as Christians from the north, as well as Lebanese Shia have found safe haven in the city.

An-Najaf is renowned as the site of the burial place of Muhammad's son-in-law and cousin, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib.

[41] The Imam ‘Ali Mosque is housed in a grand structure with a gold gilded dome and many precious objects in the walls.

[42] It contains the tombs of several prophets and many of the devout from around the world aspire to be buried there, to be raised from the dead with Imām ‘Alī on Judgement Day.

Over the centuries, numerous hospices, schools, libraries and convents were built around the shrine to make the city the center of Shīʻa learning and theology.

[48] In 2008, over 50% of about licensed 200 investment projects totaling $8 billion were under construction in Najaf Governorate, with most development coming in the housing and tourism sectors.

[53] In 2024, prime minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani announced several projects in the city, during his visit to Najaf.

Najaf International Airport is an important logistical hub that plays a pivotal role in facilitating transportation, particularly for religious tourism.

Annually, it oversees the transit of over 3 million passengers, predominantly pilgrims visiting the holy sites in Najaf.

In February 2024, the Iraqi National Investment Commission (NIC) unveiled a project to construct an inter-city high-speed rail connecting the cities of Najaf and Karbala.