Inside the Wadi al Salam cemetery in Iraq's holy city of Najaf - in pictures

Generations of the city's dead lie in the cemetery

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  Iraqi women visit the graves of their relatives in the Wadi al Salam cemetery, Arabic for 'peace valley', in Najaf, Iraq. All photos: Reuters

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  It is considered one of the world's largest cemeteries, according to Unesco.

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  Most of the city's dead have been buried in Wadi Al Salam for generations.

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  Families embellish graves to keep memories of their loved ones alive.

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  There are dozens of workers who looks after, build and design gravestones.

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  Iraqi workers say methods have changed over time, from simply plastering baked brick to close the grave, to using alabaster and granite to design a resting place.

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  The cemetery includes several styles of burials, including lower graves and tower-like graves that reflect status and respect.

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  Some of the deceased are buried inside tombs allocated to families, while others are buried inside vaults underground.

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