Wadi Al Salam cemetery in Iraq's holy city of Najaf is considered one of the world's largest cemeteries, according to Unesco. Photos: AFP
Grave diggers charge about $100 for a grave and a gravestone costs about $200
A vendor sells bottles of rose water outside the cemetery
Flowers, rose water bottles and religious banners are among the items needed during a burial ceremony
Millions have been buried in the cemetery for generations
The graveyard covers an area of 917 hectares, the equivalent of more than 1,700 football fields
There are no maps to guide visitors through the labyrinth, which is also listed as the world's largest burial ground in the Guinness Book of World Records
Visitors are taken around the cemetery in the back of a small vehicle
Worshippers visit the shrine of Imam Ali, the founding figure of Shiite Islam, at the cemetery
Locals bury their dead relatives here because they believe 'Imam Ali will play the role of intercessor for those around him during the Last Judgment'
The shrine of Imam Ali at the cemetery
Worshippers at the shrine of Imam Ali
An expanse of graves
Workers build and design gravestones at the cemetery
The cemetery includes several styles of burials, including lower graves and tower-like graves that reflect status and respect
More than 5,000 victims of Covid-19 are buried here
