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The men in the background in long robes and tall hats are Sadin - traditional guardians of the shrine. After a deadly bomb attack outside the shrine in 203 killed more than 100 people, shrine police, in white shirts and trousers, were also deployed to protect the holy site. Ali ibn Abu Talib is the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Mohammad. The split between Sunnis and Shiites centres on the Shia belief that Ali was the Prophet’s true successor. He was murdered in Kufa in 661. Legend says he told his followers to place his body on a camel and bury him where it rested. The animal stopped in Najaf on the banks of the Euphrates.
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