The Hazrat Ali Mazar, located in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, is a mosque which Sunni Muslims believe contains the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Sunnis regard Ali as their Fourth Rightly Guided Caliph and they pay tribute to Ali’s shrine every year.

The site is also where many pilgrims annually celebrate Nowruz. At the annual Jahenda Bala ceremony, a holy flag is raised in honour of Hazrat Ali. People touch the flag for luck in the New Year.

A site plan of the location made in the 1910s shows that there had earlier been a smaller walled precinct in the mosque, which was razed to create parklands later, although the portals to this precinct still remain as gateways for the shrine.

Tombs of varying dimensions were added for a number of Afghan politica. The site includes a series of five separate buildings, with the Shrine of Hazrat Ali being in the centre and the mosque at the western end so that Muslims can pray towards the direction of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The site is further surrounded by numerous gardens with places for people to sit or walk around. The Seljuq dynasty sultan Ahmed Sanjar rebuilt the first shrine at this location. It was destroyed by Genghis Khan in the invasion around 1220. It was rebuilt in the 15th century by Sultan Husayn Mirza Bayqarah. Most of the shrine’s decorations, however, are the result of modern restoration work. One of the few remaining artifacts from the earlier shrine is a marble slab inscribed with the words, “Ali, Lion of God.”

Developments over the years have led to its current irregular dimensions. These include the square domed tomb of Amir Dost Muhammad, Wazir Akbar Khan and a similar structure for Amir Sher Ali and his family.