Mausoleum of Ezekiel, Kafel

Ezekiel's Tomb at al-Kifl is one of Iraq's great shared and layered holy places. Iraqi Jewish tradition venerates it as the reputed tomb of Ezekiel, while Islamic tradition reveres the same figure as the Quranic prophet Dhu al-Kifl, though the identification is not universal. The former synagogue and prophet's tomb now stand within an active Twelver Shia shrine.

The site's modern history is painful as well as shared. Jewish pilgrimage ceased after the community's 1950s exodus, and the synagogue courtyard became Muslim prayer space after 2003. Some Hebrew inscriptions were altered or effaced during renovations; accounts differ on whether this was deliberate or accidental. The shrine should be approached with respect for active Shia worship, Iraqi-Jewish heritage, and the memory of the absent community.

The thinness of al-Kifl is built from extraordinary continuity and from layering. For over two thousand years pilgrims have come to this spot beside the Euphrates to venerate the prophet — Ezekiel in Jewish tradition, Dhu al-Kifl in Islamic tradition. The site holds a Jewish prophet's tomb and former synagogue within a Shia mosque, beneath a leaning 14th-century Ilkhanid minaret, with surviving Hebrew inscriptions still legible in places. It also holds absence: the memory of the Babylonian Jewish community that maintained the shrine for centuries and is now gone. The juxtaposition evokes reflection on exile, shared prophethood, and the layered, sometimes painful history of religious coexistence in Iraq.

A Jewish prophet's tomb and synagogue, the central pilgrimage shrine of Babylonian Jewry, with guest rooms for pilgrims around the courtyard.

Veneration is attested from at least the 12th century (Benjamin of Tudela, 1170s; Petachiah, c. 1180); the present shrine and minaret were built around 1316 under the Ilkhanid ruler Muhammad Khodabandeh (Oljaitu). Maintained by the Iraqi Jewish community until the 1950s exodus ended Jewish pilgrimage; after 2003 the synagogue courtyard was converted to Muslim prayer use, and the site now functions as an active Shia shrine under Iraqi heritage authority.

The shrine stands in the town of al-Kifl on the Euphrates, in the al-Hillah district of Babylon Governorate, reached by road from Najaf, Karbala or Hilla. Visitors describe the striking juxtaposition of a Jewish shrine within a Shia mosque — the prophet's cenotaph, faded Hebrew inscriptions, the sharply leaning medieval Ilkhanid minaret, and Shia pilgrims at prayer. Many note the poignancy of a once-great Jewish pilgrimage site now without a Jewish community.

The site evokes reflection on exile, memory, shared prophethood across Judaism and Islam, and the layered history of coexistence in Iraq. Today the shrine is an active place of Shia ziyarat and prayer, guarded by a local Muslim family; women are required to wear a full chador to enter, and the inner sanctum with its Hebrew markings is under Iraqi heritage authority.

Enter as a respectful guest of an active Shia shrine that holds Jewish heritage. Women must wear a full chador; men should avoid shorts. Treat the Hebrew inscriptions and the cenotaph as fragile shared heritage — do not touch or deface them — and be discreet around worshippers.

Jewish tradition holds that Ezekiel, deported from Judah during the Babylonian captivity, was buried here near the Euphrates, and that the attached synagogue once held a Torah scroll written by Ezekiel himself. Islamic tradition identifies the occupant as the Quranic prophet Dhu al-Kifl, from whom the town al-Kifl takes its name. Veneration is attested by the 12th century, and the present shrine, mosque and leaning minaret were built around 1316 under the Ilkhanid ruler Muhammad Khodabandeh (Oljaitu).

A shared shrine: historically the central pilgrimage site of Babylonian/Iraqi Judaism, now an active Twelver Shia shrine, both venerating the same prophet.

Historically: Jewish pilgrimage and prayer, especially at Shavuot, with the lighting of lamps and reading of Torah, and overnight stays in courtyard guest rooms. Today: Shia ziyarat, prayer and devotional visitation at the mosque-shrine.

Active Shia visitation, including some pilgrims on the Najaf-Karbala circuit; the site is guarded by a local Muslim family. Jewish pilgrimage has effectively ceased since the 1950s exodus.

Enter quietly and hold both traditions in mind at once: the Jewish prophet and the Quranic prophet, the former synagogue and the working mosque. Reflect on exile, on shared prophethood, and on the community whose absence the site now also commemorates. Observe Shia worship respectfully without intruding.

The tomb is venerated by two traditions and read by historians as a long-shared shrine transformed by modern history.

Continue through the atlas by country, tradition, physical form, or a focused search that combines this place’s strongest context.

Sacred places within a half-day’s reach. Pilgrims often visit them together: walk one, stay for the other.

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Sources consulted when researching this page. Independent verification by readers is welcome.

1. 01Tomb of Ezekiel at al-Kifl, Iraq — Diarna — Diarna Geo-Museum of Mizrahi Jewish Lifehigh-reliability
2. 02Ezekiel's Tomb — Wikipedia — Wikipedia contributors
3. 03A Jewish Shrine inside a Mosque: the History of Ezekiel's Tomb in Iraq — Ajam Media Collective — Alex Shams / Ajam Media Collective
4. 04Tomb of Prophet Ezekiel — Madain Project — Madain Project
5. 05Babylon's forgotten tomb, a symbol of Iraq's ancient Jewish heritage — Middle East Eye — Middle East Eye
6. 06Jewish Shrine of Prophet Ezekiel's Tomb Open to Visitors in Shiite Iraq — Haaretz — Haaretz
7. 07Hebrew inscriptions in Ezekiel's tomb may be removed — Point of No Return — Harif / Point of No Return