Kufa

Kufa (Arabic,الكوفة al-Kūfah) is a city in Iraq, about 170 kilometres (110 mi) south of Baghdad, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya and Najaf, Kufa is one of five Iraqi cities that are of great importance to Shia Muslims. The city was the final capital of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and was founded within the first hundred years of the 622 Hijra. The city contains the Great Mosque of Kufa, one of the earliest mosques in Islam, built in the 7th century. See Ancient Mesopotamia. Ruled by Sassanian Empire as part of Suristan province. See Middle Bih-Kavad. The Arabs, led by Caliph ʻUmar ibn Khattāb,...