Holy Alawite Shrine Unveils Restored Golden Crown of Imam Ali’s Shrine Grille

Holy Alawite Shrine Unveils Restored Golden Crown of Imam Ali’s Shrine Grille
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The General Secretariat of the Holy Alawite Shrine has unveiled the newly re-gilded and installed golden crown of the grille surrounding the shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him and his father), marking one of the most significant recent heritage projects linked to the holy site.

According to reports viewed by Shia Waves Agency, the unveiling ceremony was held on Monday evening, 6 Shaaban 1447 AH, corresponding to January 26, coinciding with celebrations marking the births of the Muhammadan luminaries. The event was attended by official representatives, delegates of senior religious authorities, clerics, members of the Najaf seminary, academic and community figures, as well as large numbers of visitors.

Zaid Al-Mashhadi, head of the shrine’s Gold Workshop, said the project took two years and 30 days of continuous work and involved multiple precise technical stages carried out by specialized craftsmen in accordance with advanced engineering and technical standards.

He explained that the work included dismantling the original crown, extracting and melting the old gold into bullion, restoring and re-engraving damaged components, and re-gilding approximately 460 gold pieces using a modern scientific method described as the first of its kind in this field. The golden crown measures 6.63 meters in length from the shrine floor, 4.42 meters in height, and 5.45 meters in width, before being reinstalled and secured to the grille.

The project also involved installing four gold, enamel-inlaid lanterns at the corners of the grille, decorated with Islamic and vegetal motifs and carrying religious symbolism.