The Najaf Seminary (Arabic: حوزة النجف), also known as the al-Hawza Al-Ilmiyya (الحوزة العلمية), is the oldest and one of the most important Shia seminaries (hawza) in the world.[1] It is located near the Imam Ali Shrine in the city of Najaf in Iraq, and also operates a campus in Karbala, Iraq. It was established by Shaykh Tusi (385 AH/995 CE – 460 AH/1067 CE),[2] and continued as a center of study after the establishment of modern Iraq in 1921.[3][4]
As of 2023, Ayatollah Ali Sistani heads Hawza 'Ilmiyya Najaf, which includes two other Ayatollahs - Mohammad Ishaq Al-Fayyad and Bashir al-Najafi.[5] The number of students studying there has waxed and waned in modern times, from 15,000-20,000 in the mid-20th century, down to 3000 during the repressive reign of Saddam Hussein, to around 13,000 as of 2014.[6]
As of 2014 the curriculum has been updated to include many modern subjects as well as inter faith and inter sectarian initiatives.[6]
ai-Hawza
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).