Mausoleum of Ezekiel, Kafel

In the town of al-Kifl on the Euphrates, between Najaf and Hilla, a domed cenotaph beneath a leaning medieval minaret is revered as the tomb of the prophet Ezekiel — Dhu al-Kifl in Islam. For more than two thousand years it was the heart of Jewish life in Mesopotamia; today it is an active Shia shrine, a layered and contested holy place.

Ezekiel's Tomb at al-Kifl is one of the great shared and layered holy places of Iraq. Ezekiel prophesied to the exiles of Judah by the rivers of Babylon, and his reputed tomb beside the Euphrates became the deepest root of Jewish life in Mesopotamia — a place of pilgrimage for more than two thousand years. Babylonian and Iraqi Jews made annual pilgrimage, especially at Shavuot, staying in guest rooms around the courtyard; the medieval traveler Benjamin of Tudela recorded in the 1170s a synagogue holding a Torah scroll attributed to Ezekiel himself.

The site is venerated simultaneously by Muslims as the tomb of Dhu al-Kifl, a Quranic prophet widely though not universally identified with Ezekiel — the town al-Kifl takes its name from him. The present shrine dates to around 1316, when the Ilkhanid ruler Muhammad Khodabandeh (Oljaitu) added the mosque and its now sharply leaning minaret.

Jewish pilgrimage effectively ceased with the mass Jewish exodus from Iraq in the 1950s, and after 2003 the synagogue courtyard was converted to Muslim prayer use. Today the site functions as an active Twelver Shia shrine, increasingly visited by pilgrims, including some traveling the Najaf-Karbala routes, and guarded by a local Muslim family. The conversion and the alteration or effacement of Hebrew inscriptions during renovations are sensitive matters for Iraqi-Jewish heritage advocates; accounts differ on whether changes were deliberate or accidental. The site is best approached with respect for both traditions and for the painful history it holds — a Jewish prophet's tomb and former synagogue layered within a working Shia mosque, and the memory of a vanished community.

A prophet's tomb venerated since at least the 12th century, with an Ilkhanid shrine of c. 1316 and a contested modern history.

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.

Two and a half millennia of veneration on the Euphrates, shared across Judaism and Islam.

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.

Historic Jewish pilgrimage, especially at Shavuot, now succeeded by active Shia ziyarat and prayer.

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.

A prophet's cenotaph and faded Hebrew inscriptions within a Shia mosque, below a sharply leaning minaret.

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.

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

A long-venerated tomb attributed to Ezekiel, attested from at least the 12th century, with the present shrine and Ilkhanid minaret dating to around 1316; historically the central Jewish pilgrimage site of Mesopotamia, transformed after 2003 into a primarily Shia shrine. Some Jewish heritage features and Hebrew inscriptions have been altered or lost during renovations, and accounts differ on whether this was deliberate or accidental.

Iraqi Jewish tradition holds it as Ezekiel's tomb and the heart of Babylonian Jewry; Islamic tradition reveres it as the tomb of the prophet Dhu al-Kifl. The two are traditionally identified as the same figure, though not universally.

Local tradition associates al-Kifl with the Talmudic academy of Sura and attributes wonder-working power to the prophet's intercession; whether al-Kifl truly hosted the Sura academy is a tradition rather than established fact.

The historicity of the burial, the exact original form of the synagogue, the fate and current state of the Hebrew inscriptions, and whether al-Kifl truly hosted the Sura academy all remain uncertain or contested.

In al-Kifl on the Euphrates between Najaf and Hilla; steady Shia visitation year-round; a 30-60 minute visit.

In the town of al-Kifl on the Euphrates, al-Hillah district, Babylon Governorate, between Najaf and Hilla; reached by road from Najaf, Karbala or Hilla. Exact GPS coordinates were not pulled.

Lodging is most readily found in Najaf, Karbala or Hilla, the regional bases from which al-Kifl is reached.

Modest Islamic dress with a full chador for women, discretion with photography, and care for the shared heritage.

This is a shared and contested heritage site — a Jewish prophet's tomb and former synagogue now functioning as a Shia mosque. Observe Islamic etiquette: women must wear a full chador to enter, and men should avoid shorts. Be discreet and respectful with photography, especially of worshippers and the Hebrew inscriptions, and ask before photographing people. Treat both the Jewish history and the active Muslim worship with equal respect.

Modest Islamic dress required; women must wear a full chador to enter the shrine; men should avoid shorts.

Be discreet and respectful, especially of worshippers and the Hebrew inscriptions; ask before photographing people.

No specific offering is required; donations to the shrine may be welcomed.

Treat the Hebrew inscriptions and the tomb as fragile shared heritage; do not touch or deface them; respect both the Jewish history and the active Muslim worship.

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

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Mausoleums of Muslim bin Aqil, Hani bin Urwa and Almukhtar, Kufa Mosque, Najaf

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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