Al-Hannanah Mosque, Mosque in Najaf, Iraq

Al-Hannanah Mosque stands on the road between Najaf and Kufa, north of the old town. Its facade is pale yellow brick framed by a rectangular wall, crossed near the top by a band of blue tile bearing white Arabic calligraphy. Below, a wide pointed arch outlined in white holds blue, turquoise and white tilework, and a smaller pointed archway opens into a shaded passage beneath a dark blue panel inscribed "بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم".

The mosque stands at the site where, in 61 AH (680 CE), the heads of Husayn ibn Ali's companions were brought to Kufa and Husayn's head is said to have been laid on the ground. Shia tradition holds that a column or wall here bowed during the night transfer of Ali ibn Abi Talib's body from Kufa to Najaf. Ja'far al-Sadiq prayed two rak'as at this spot on his way to Kufa. Historians attribute construction to Abbas I of Persia or to Ghazan ibn Hulagu Khan.

The name Al-Hannanah means "the moaning one", from the sound believers say rose from the ground when Husayn's head was laid here after Karbala, or from the column that bent in grief as Ali's body passed. Some trace it to Hanna, an old Christian monastery of al-Hira built by al-Mundhir I (r. 418–462).

The mosque stands on the Najaf–Kufa road, north of Najaf's old town and about 1,000 m from Ali's tomb, on the right side for those heading to Najaf. Pilgrims arriving here recite a two-unit prayer, a practice attributed to Shaykh al-Mufid, Sayyid Ibn Tawus and Shahid Awwal. The nearby shrine of Kumayl ibn Ziyad lies in the same Al-Hannana area.

The name "al-Hannanah" means "the one that cries out"; it recalls the lament said to have risen from this ground when Husayn's severed head was set down here on the way to Kufa. Some trace the word instead to Hanna, a Christian monastery founded by al-Mundhir I (r. 418–462) that once stood on this very spot.