Largest Cemetery in the World



This is the “Valley of Peace”:
It is located in Najaf, Iraq and is the largest known cemetery in the world.
Despite Najaf having a population of ~600,000 people, the graveyard has between 10 and 15 million bodies. (Though some say it is much higher.)
The cemetery is open to anyone to be buried. The Shia tradition doesn’t make distinctions between poor and rich in mourning and burial. (Source: Fayyad, Qassem. "Wadi Al-Salam: A Cemetery to Cleanse Sins.)
The location is haunting—and quiet. And has been growing rapidly since the start of the Iraq war.
It is an important location because, under Shia belief, the land is literally considered a part of heaven--if you bury your dead there it will hasten their passage into the after life.
Consequently, Shias from around the world send bodies to be buried here.
Don't expect this graveyard to stop growing.

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