Case file · Sacred site
The tomb of Ali at Mazar-i-Sharif
Sultan Sanjar built the first shrine here in 1136 for a grave believed to be that of the caliph Ali; the city's name means 'Noble Shrine'.
1136 CE · 36.71, 67.11 · status: legend
The account
The tradition is first recorded by the traveller Abu Hamid al-Gharnati in the 12th century. The Mongols destroyed the shrine in 1220 and the present Blue Mosque was rebuilt in the 15th century. Local belief holds that grey doves turn white within days of settling there.
The sceptical view
Most Muslims hold that Ali is buried in Najaf, Iraq.