Najaf’s wax statues kindle meltdown for conservative Iraqi clerics
The exhibition of wax sculptures in a museum in Najaf, a conservative Shiite city, marks a major reformist development and a cultural breakthrough.
NAJAF, Iraq — An exhibit of wax statues depicting some 68 Shiite clerics and political figures opened at a museum in Najaf last month. It is the first semipermanent installation of its kind in Iraq.
Assil al-Talqani, the chairwoman of the Tourism and Antiquities Committee in the Najaf Governorate Council, told Al-Monitor at the Jan. 21 opening that the wax sculptures depict religious, political and cultural figures from Iraq and abroad who are connected to the predominately Shiite city of Najaf.
“Some were born in Najaf while others studied in the city, such as founder of the Shiite Hawza [Shiite seminary] Shaykh Tusi, Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei and Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr,” she said, adding that the museum is a tourist landmark that promotes both cultural and religious tourism.
Najaf Governor Louay al-Yasiri said during the opening ceremony that the statues will eventually move to a new museum once it is completed. Its construction began in 2011 and has yet to be finished.
