Iraqis make a living among the dead

The Najaf cemetery has become a refuge for families displaced by poverty and violence.

Najaf cemetary, Iraq

The Najaf cemetery in central Iraq is the largest graveyard in the world.

It is a holy site for Shia Muslims, millions of whom choose to be buried there because of its proximity to Imam Ali’s tomb.

But as poverty and violence displace more Iraqis, the cemetery is increasingly becoming a refuge for the living.

Dozens of families with nowhere else to go have now built their homes – and their lives – among the graves.

Al Jazeera’s Jane Arraf reports from Najaf.

Source: Al Jazeera