As the warriors of Islam entered Persia they realized that the people of this land behold an ancient historical, cultural and artistic heritage. The people of Persia also acknowledged that the new bestowed religion will ultimately enhance their culture and art. The initial response to the newly established religion did not take long and soon Persian artists adorned the arts of the land. It was in the fourth and fifth century that Persia became the home of prominent artists in various architectural and artistic fields. The artists of the Safavid Empire enriched this status to its ultimate state and bequeathed this aptitude to the Afsharid era. One of the magnificent achievements of the Safavid Empire is the ornamentation of the dome and golden portico of Iman Ali’s shrine in Najaf. This paper seeks out to describe and identify the inscriptions and ornamentations of this holy dome that is immersed with historical, cultural and artistic values.
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