Ali ibn Abi Talib was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, the fourth Rashidun caliph and the first Shia Imam, assassinated in Kufa in 40 AH/661 CE. A 12th-century Afghan tradition holds that his body was secretly carried to Balkh and rests at this Mazar-i-Sharif shrine. IMPORTANT: this claim is DISPUTED; the mainstream scholarly view places Ali's grave at Najaf, Iraq. (Sources: Wikipedia 'Mausoleum of Imam Ali'; Wikidata Q138388)