View source for Place:Karbala

{{Short description|City in Karbala Governorate, Iraq}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name               = Karbala
| population_metro   = 
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_total_km2     = 42.4
| elevation_m        = 28
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_est     = 711,530
| pop_est_as_of      = 2018
| image_map1 = {{Infobox mapframe |shape-fill-opacity=.1|wikidata=yes |zoom=11 |frame-height=300 | stroke-width=4  |coord={{WikidataCoord|display=i}}}}
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="citypopulation.de">{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/iraq/cities.html|title=Iraq: Governorates & Cities}}</ref>
| population_urban   = 
| population_density_urban_km2 = 
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| leader_name        = 
| population_density_metro_sq_mi = 
| population_demonym = Karbalaei
| population_note    = 
| timezone1          = Arabian Standard Time
| utc_offset1        = +3
| timezone1_DST      = No DST
| utc_offset_DST     = +3
| postal_code_type   = Postal code
| postal_code        = 10001 to 10090
| area_code_type     = 
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
| total_type         = 
| leader_title       = 
| official_name      = Mayoralty of Karbala
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| native_name        = {{lang|ar|كَرْبَلَاء}}
| native_name_lang   = 
| settlement_type    = City
| image_skyline      = File:Karbala collage2.jpg
| image_size         = 275
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_seal         = 
| nickname           = 
| pushpin_map        = Iraq#Asia
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Karbala within Iraq
| leader_party       = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|32|37|N|44|02|E|region:IQ|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint      = 
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|Iraq}}
| subdivision_type1  = Governorate
| subdivision_name1  = [[Place:Karbala Governorate|Karbala]]
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 690&nbsp;[[Common Era|CE]]
| founder            = 
| government_type    = Mayor–council
| governing_body     = 
| Increase in population = 
}}

'''Karbala''' or '''Kerbala''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑːr|b|ə|l|ə}} {{respell|KAR|bə|lə}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/karbala|title=Karbala|work=Collins English Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins|access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Karbala |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322182548/https://www.lexico.com/definition/karbala |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-03-22 |title=Karbala |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Organization:Oxford University Press|Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|USalso|ˌ|k|ɑːr|b|ə|ˈ|l|ɑː}} {{respell|KAR|bə|LAH}};<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Karbala|access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Karbalā'|access-date=30 July 2019}}</ref> {{lang-ar|كَرْبَلَاء|Karbalāʾ}}, {{IPA|ar|karbaˈlaːʔ|IPA}}) is a city in central Iraq, located about {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} southwest of [[Place:Baghdad|Baghdad]], and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake.<ref name="Risk2008">{{Cite web |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report/77116/iraq-livelihoods-at-risk-as-level-of-lake-razaza-falls|title=Iraq: Livelihoods at risk as level of Lake Razaza falls |date=5 March 2008 |access-date=25 November 2015 |publisher=IRIN News}}</ref><ref name="UF2004">{{cite book |title=Under Fire: Untold Stories from the Front Line of the Iraq War |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jWVtAAAAMAAJ |date=January 2004 |publisher=Reuters Prentice Hall |isbn=978-0-13-142397-8 |page=15}}</ref> Karbala is the capital of [[Place:Karbala Governorate|Karbala Governorate]], and has an estimated population of 711,530 people (2018).<ref name="citypopulation.de"/>

The city, best known as the location of the [[Religion:Battle of Karbala|Battle of Karbala]] in 680&nbsp;AD, or for the shrines of Hussain and Al Abbas,<ref name="Shimoni & Levine, 1974, p. 160">Shimoni & Levine, 1974, p. 160.</ref><ref name="Aghaie, 2004, pp. 10-11">Aghaie, 2004, pp. 10–11.</ref> is considered a holy city for Shia Muslims.  Tens of millions of Shi'ite Muslims visit the site twice a year. <ref name="Islam in the World">{{cite book|author1=Malise Ruthven|title=Islam in the World|date=2006|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195305036|page=180}}</ref><ref name="Routledge">{{cite book|author1=David Seddon|title=Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East|date=11 Jan 2013|publisher=Routledge|location=Karbala (Kerbala)|isbn=9781135355616}}</ref><ref name="Zondervan">{{cite book|author1=John Azumah|author2=Dr. Kwame Bediako (Foreword)|title=My Neighbour's Faith: Islam Explained for African Christians|date=26 May 2009|publisher=Zondervan|location=Main Divisions and Movements Within Islam|isbn=9780310574620}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Paul Grieve|title=A Brief Guide to Islam: History, Faith and Politics: The Complete Introduction|date=2006|publisher=Carroll and Graf Publishers|isbn=9780786718047|page=[https://archive.org/details/briefguidetoisla00grie/page/212 212]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/briefguidetoisla00grie/page/212}}</ref> The martyrdom of [[Biography:Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn ibn Ali]] and Abbas ibn Ali 
is commemorated annually by millions of Shi'ites.<ref name="Islam in the World"/><ref name="Routledge"/><ref name="Zondervan"/><ref>{{cite book|author1=Paul Grieve|title=A Brief Guide to Islam: History, Faith and Politics : the Complete Introduction|date=2006|publisher=Carroll and Graf Publishers|isbn=9780786718047|page=[https://archive.org/details/briefguidetoisla00grie/page/212 212]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/briefguidetoisla00grie/page/212}}</ref>

Up to 34 million pilgrims visit the city to observe ''[[Religion:Ashura|ʿĀshūrāʾ]]'' (the tenth day of the month of [[Religion:Muharram|Muharram]]), which marks the anniversary of Husayn's death, but the main event is the ''Arbaʿīn'' (the 40th day after 'Ashura'), where up to 40 million visit the graves. Most of the pilgrims travel on foot from all around Iraq and more than 56 countries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interactive Maps: Sunni & Shia: The Worlds of Islam |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/iran/map2.html |work=PBS |access-date=June 9, 2017}}</ref>

==Etymology==
There are many opinions among different investigators, as to the origin of the word ''Karbala''. Some have pointed out that ''Karbala'' has a connection to the "Karbalato" language, while others attempt to derive the meaning of word by analyzing its spelling and language.{{clarify|date=October 2023}} They conclude that it originates from the "Kar Babel" group of ancient Babylonian villages that included Nainawa, Al-Ghadiriyya, Karbella (or Karb Illu), Al-Nawaweess, and Al-Heer. This last name is today known as Al-Hair and is where [[Biography:Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn]] ibn Ali's grave is located.

The investigator Yaqut al-Hamawi had pointed out that the meaning of ''Karbala'' could have several explanations, one of which is that the place where Husayn ibn Ali was martyred is made of soft earth—{{transl|ar|al-Karbalāt}}.

According to Shia's belief, the archangel [[Biography:Gabriel|Gabriel]] narrated the true meaning of the name ''Karbala'' to [[Biography:Muhammad|Muhammad]]: a combination of {{transl|ar|karb}} ({{lang-ar|كَرْب|links=no}}, "the land which will cause many agonies") and {{transl|ar|balāʾ}} ({{lang|ar|بَلَاء}}, "afflictions").<ref name="kamil01">{{cite book |last=al-Qummi |first=Ja'far ibn Qūlawayh |translator=Sayyid Mohsen al-Husaini al-Mīlāni |title=Kāmil al-Ziyārāt |year=2008 |publisher=Shiabooks.ca Press |page=545}}</ref>

==History==
===Battle of Karbala===
{{main|Religion:Battle of Karbala}}

The Battle of Karbala was fought on the bare deserts on the way to Kufa on October 10, AD&nbsp;680 (10 Muharram 61&nbsp;AH). Both Husayn ibn Ali and his brother Abbas ibn Ali were buried by the local Banī Asad tribe, at what later became known as the ''Mashhad Al-Husayn''. The battle itself occurred as a result of Husain's refusal of Yazid I's demand for allegiance to his caliphate. The Kufan governor, Ubaydallah ibn Ziyad, sent thirty thousand horsemen against Husayn as he traveled to Kufa.  Husayn had no army, he was with his family and few friends who joined them, so there were around 73 men, including a 6-month-old Ali Asghar, son of Imam Husayn, in total. The horsemen, under 'Umar ibn Sa'd, were ordered to deny Husayn and his followers water in order to force Husayn to agree to give an oath of allegiance. On the 9th of Muharram, Husayn refused, and asked to be given the night to pray. On 10 Muharram, Husayn ibn Ali prayed the morning prayer and led his troops into battle along with his brother Abbas. Many of Husayn's followers, including all of his present sons Ali Akbar, Ali Asghar (six months old) and his nephews Qassim, Aun and Muhammad were killed.<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir – History of the Prophets and Kings; Volume XIX The Caliphate of Yazid ibn Muawiyah, translated by I.K.A Howard, SUNY Press, 1991</ref>

In 63&nbsp;AH (AD&nbsp;AD), Yazid ibn Mu'awiya released the surviving members of Husayn's family from prison as there was a threat of uprisings and some of the people in his court were unaware of who the battle was with, when they got to know that the descendants of Muhammad were killed, they were horrified. On their way to Mecca, they stopped at the site of the battle. There is record of Sulayman ibn Surad going on pilgrimage to the site as early as 65 AH (685 AD). The city began as a tomb and shrine to [[Biography:Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn ibn Ali]], grandson of [[Biography:Muhammad|Muhammad]] and son of Ali ibn Abi Talib,<ref name="Seyyed"/> and grew as a city in order to meet the needs of pilgrims. The city and tombs were greatly expanded by successive Muslim rulers, but suffered repeated destruction from attacking armies. The original shrine was destroyed by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mutawakkil in 850 but was rebuilt in its present form around 979, only to be partly destroyed by fire in 1086 and rebuilt yet again.

===Early modern===
Like [[Place:Najaf|Najaf]], the city suffered from severe water shortages that were only resolved in the early 18th century by building a dam at the head of the Husayniyya Canal. In 1737, the city replaced Isfahan in [[Religion:Iran|Iran]] as the main centre of Shia scholarship. In the mid-eighteenth century it was dominated by the dean of scholarship, Yusuf Al Bahrani, a key proponent of the [[Religion:Akhbari|Akhbari]] tradition of Shia thought, until his death in 1772,<ref>Juan Cole, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ntarP5hrza0C Sacred Space and Holy War]'', IB Tauris, 2007 p. 71–72</ref> after which the more state-centric [[Religion:Usuli|Usuli]] school became more influential.

The Wahhabi sack of Karbala occurred on 21 April 1802 (1216 Hijri) (1801),<ref name="LOC">{{cite web|last1=Staff writers|title=The Saud Family and Wahhabi Islam, 1500–1818|url=http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/loc/sa/saud_wahhabi.htm|website=www.au.af.mil|access-date=8 August 2016}}</ref> under the rule of Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad the second ruler of the First Saudi State, when 12,000 Wahhabi Muslims from [[Place:Najd|Najd]] attacked the city of Karbala.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Martin |editor1-first=Richard C. |title=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim world |date=2003 |publisher=Macmillan Reference USA |location=New York |isbn=0-02-865603-2 |edition=[Online-Ausg.] |oclc=52178942 }}</ref> The attack was coincident with the anniversary of [[Religion:The event of Ghadir Khumm|Ghadir Khum]] event,<ref name="Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Litvak |first=Meir |encyclopedia= Iranica Online |title=KARBALA |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/karbala |year=2010 }}</ref> or 10 [[Religion:Muharram|Muharram]].<ref name="Seyyed">{{cite book|last1=Khatab|first1=Sayed|title=Understanding Islamic Fundamentalism: The Theological and Ideological Basis of Al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics|year=2011|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-977-416-499-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBYnDAAAQBAJ&q=1802+fall+of+karbala&pg=PA74 |access-date=11 August 2016|language=en}}</ref> This fight left 3,000–5,000 deaths and the dome of the tomb of [[Biography:Husayn ibn Ali|Husayn ibn Ali]],<ref name="Seyyed"/> was destroyed.  The fight lasted for 8 hours.<ref name="Alexei">{{cite book|last1=Vassiliev|first1=Alexei|title=The History of Saudi Arabia|date=September 2013|publisher=Saqi|isbn=978-0-86356-779-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lEIhBQAAQBAJ&q=Wahhabi+sack+of+Karbala&pg=PT81 |access-date=9 August 2016|language=en}}</ref>[[File:Destruction of the Tomb of Husain at Kerbela.jpg|thumb|200px|Destruction of the Tomb of Husain at Karbala on the orders of Caliph al-Mutawakkil.|left]]After the First Saudi State invasion, the city enjoyed semi-autonomy during Ottoman rule, governed by a group of gangs and mafia variously allied with members of the 'ulama. In order to reassert their authority, the Ottoman army laid siege to the city. On January 13, 1843, Ottoman troops entered the city. Many of the city leaders fled leaving defense of the city largely to tradespeople. About 3,000 Arabs were killed in the city, and another 2,000 outside the walls (this represented about 15% of the city's normal population). The Turks lost 400 men.<ref>Cole, Juan R.I. and Moojan Momen. 1986. "[https://www.academia.edu/661030/Mafia_Mob_and_Shiism_in_Iraq_The_Rebellion_of_Ottoman_Karbala_1824-1843 Mafia, Mob and Shiism in Iraq: The Rebellion of Ottoman Karbala 1824–1843]." Past & Present. No 112: 112–143.</ref> This prompted many students and scholars to move to Najaf, which became the main Shia religious centre.<ref>Cole, Juan R. I. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ntarP5hrza0C Sacred Space and Holy War: The Politics, Culture and History of Shi'ite Islam]''. London: I.B. Tauris, 2002.</ref> Between 1850 and 1903, Karbala enjoyed a generous influx of money through the Oudh Bequest. The Shia-ruled Indian Province of Awadh, known by the British as Oudh, had always sent money and pilgrims to the holy city. The Oudh money, 10 million rupees, originated in 1825 from the Awadh Nawab Ghazi-ud-Din Haider. One third was to go to his wives, and the other two-thirds went to holy cities of Karbala and Najaf. When his wives died in 1850, the money piled up with interest in the hands of the British East India Company. The EIC sent the money to Karbala and Najaf per the wives' wishes, in the hopes of influencing the [[Religion:Ulama|Ulama]] in Britain's favor. This effort to curry favor is generally considered to have been a failure.<ref>"A Failed Manipulation: The British, the Oudh Bequest and the Shī'ī 'Ulamā' of Najaf and Karbalā'." Meir Litvak, ''British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies'', {{JSTOR|826171}}</ref>

In 1915, Karbala was the scene of an uprising against the Ottoman Empire.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZgAAwAAQBAJ|title=The Arab Movements in World War I|last=Tauber|first=Eliezer|date=2014-03-05|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135199784|pages=30|language=en}}</ref>

In 1928, an important drainage project was carried out to relieve the city of unhealthy swamps, formed between Hussainiya and the Bani Hassan Canals on the Euphrates.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Report by His Britannic Majesty's Government to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Iraq 1927–28|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b405474&view=1up&seq=177&q1=Karbala|access-date=2020-07-17|via=HathiTrust|page=177|language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Karbala 07402u.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Mosque in Karbala (1932)]]

Defense of the City Hall in Karbala – a series of skirmishes fought from April 3 to April 6, 2004, between the Iraqi rebels of the Mahdi Army trying to conquer the city hall and the defending Polish and Bulgarian soldiers from the Multinational Division Central-South

In 2003 following the American invasion, the Karbala town council attempted to elect United States Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Lopez as mayor. Ostensibly so that his Marines, contractors, and funds could not leave.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mattis, James N., 1950–|title=Call sign chaos : learning to lead|others=West, Francis J.|year=2019|isbn=978-0-8129-9683-8|edition=First|location=New York|pages=112|oclc=1112672474}}</ref>

On April 14, 2007, a car bomb exploded about {{convert|600|ft|m|abbr=on}} from the shrine to Husayn, killing 47<ref>{{cite news |first=Lily |last=Hamourtziadou |title=A Week in Iraq |url=http://iraqbodycount.org/editorial/weekiniraq/40/ |publisher=iraqbodycount.org |date=2007-04-15 |access-date=2007-04-15 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070429005149/http://www.iraqbodycount.org/editorial/weekiniraq/40/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-04-29}}</ref> and wounding over 150.

On January 19, 2008, 2 million Iraqi Shia pilgrims marched through Karbala city, Iraq to commemorate Ashura. 20,000 Iraqi troops and police guarded the event amid tensions due to clashes between Iraqi troops and Shia which left 263 people dead (in [[Place:Basra|Basra]] and Nasiriya).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7197473.stm|title=Iraqi Shia pilgrims mark holy day|date=19 January 2008|via=bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

== Climate ==
Karbala experiences a hot desert climate (''BWh'' in the [[Earth:Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate classification]]) with extremely hot, long, dry summers and mild winters. Almost all of the yearly precipitation is received between November and April, though no month is wet.

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Karbala
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y

|Jan high C = 15.7
|Feb high C = 18.8
|Mar high C = 23.6
|Apr high C = 30.6
|May high C = 36.9
|Jun high C = 41.5
|Jul high C = 43.9
|Aug high C = 43.6
|Sep high C = 40.2
|Oct high C = 33.3
|Nov high C = 23.7
|Dec high C = 17.6

|Jan mean C = 10.6
|Feb mean C = 12.9
|Mar mean C = 17.4
|Apr mean C = 23.9
|May mean C = 29.7
|Jun mean C = 33.9
|Jul mean C = 36.4
|Aug mean C = 35.9
|Sep mean C = 32.3
|Oct mean C = 26.2
|Nov mean C = 17.7
|Dec mean C = 12.3

|Jan low C =  5.4
|Feb low C =  7.0
|Mar low C = 11.2
|Apr low C = 17.1
|May low C = 22.5
|Jun low C = 26.3
|Jul low C = 28.8
|Aug low C = 28.2
|Sep low C = 24.3
|Oct low C = 19.0
|Nov low C = 11.6
|Dec low C =  6.9

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 17.6
|Feb precipitation mm = 14.3
|Mar precipitation mm = 15.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 11.5
|May precipitation mm =  3.5
|Jun precipitation mm =  0.1
|Jul precipitation mm =  0.0
|Aug precipitation mm =  0.0
|Sep precipitation mm =  0.3
|Oct precipitation mm =  4.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 10.5
|Dec precipitation mm = 15.3

|Jan precipitation days = 7
|Feb precipitation days = 5
|Mar precipitation days = 6
|Apr precipitation days = 5
|May precipitation days = 3
|Jun precipitation days = 0
|Jul precipitation days = 0
|Aug precipitation days = 0
|Sep precipitation days = 0
|Oct precipitation days = 4
|Nov precipitation days = 5
|Dec precipitation days = 7

|source 1 = World Meteorological Organisation (UN)<ref name= WMO >{{cite web
  | url = http://worldweather.wmo.int/154/c01465.htm
  | title = World Weather Information Service – Karbala
  | access-date = 1 January 2011
  | publisher = United Nations }}</ref>

|date=January 2011
}}

==Religious tourism==
[[File:Shrine in Karbala.jpg|thumb|Shrine in Karbala, showing use of [[Engineering:Arabesque|Arabesque]]]]
Karbala, alongside [[Place:Najaf|Najaf]], is considered a thriving tourist destination for Shia Muslims and the tourism industry in the city boomed after the end of Saddam Hussein's rule.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/en/life-style/art-and-culture/2013/04/04/Iraq-s-holy-cities-enjoy-boom-in-religious-tourism.html|title=Iraq's holy cities enjoy boom in religious tourism|publisher=Al Arabiya|date=4 April 2013}}</ref> Some religious tourism attractions include:

* Al Abbas Mosque
* Imam Husayn Shrine
* [[Place:Euphrates|Euphrates]]
* Ruins of Mujada, about {{convert|40|km|mile|abbr=in}} to the west of the city<ref name="Al-Shirazi">[http://www.alshirazi.net/karbala/torath/04.htm منارة موجدة «مَعلَمٌ حددت وظيفته تسميته»]. ''Al-Shirazi''. Retrieved January 5, 2018.</ref><ref name="Holy Karbala">[http://www.holykarbala.net/v2/index.php/ar/%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9-%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3%D8%A9-3/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B2%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A2%D8%AB%D8%A7%D8%B1/258-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A9 الآثار منارة موجدة]. ''Holy Karbala''. Retrieved January 5, 2018.</ref>

===Airports===
Airports in Karbala include:<ref name="Frbiu 03-2017">{{cite news |publisher=Foreign Relations Bureau – Iraq |title=$500 Million Airport Scandal Exposes Industrial Scale Corruption in Holy Karbala |url=https://www.frbiu.com/articles/500-million-airport-scandal-exposes-industrial-scale-corruption-in-holy-karbala |date=2017-03-07 |access-date=2018-11-21}}</ref>
*Karbala Northeast Airport<ref name="CAPA">{{cite web |publisher=CAPA Centre for Aviation |title=Karbala Northeast (Imam Hussein) Airport |url=https://centreforaviation.com/data/profiles/newairports/karbala-northeast-imam-hussein-airport |access-date=2018-11-20}}</ref>
*Karbala International Airport<ref name="MEED 2018">{{cite book |publisher=Economic East Economic Digest |title=MEED. |volume=42 |issue=27–39 |pages=38–48 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=559WAAAAYAAJ&q=karbala+international+airport |year=2018}}</ref> (located to the southeast of Karbala)

==Religious beliefs==
===Mesopotamia in the Quran===
[[File:Meso2mil-English.JPG|thumb|<!--No need to "fix" this false-positive Linter bogus image option error. See phab:T279682-->A map of Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BCE, showing Nineveh (the township of Yunus)),<ref name="qref|10|98|b=y"/><ref name="IbnHisham, V.1, P.419–421"/><ref name=SycOrth/> Qattara (or Karana), Dūr-Katlimmu, Assur, Arrapha, Terqa, Nuzi, Mari, Eshnunna, Dur-Kurigalzu, Der, Sippar, Babylon, Kish, Susa, Borsippa, Nippur, Isin, Uruk, Larsa and Ur, from north to south. Note the relative proximity of Babylon and Sippar to Lake Milh, which is near Karbala.<ref name="Risk2008"/><ref name="UF2004"/>]]

Some Shi'ites consider this verse of the [[Religion:Quran|Quran]] to refer to Iraq, land of the Shi'ite sacred sites of Kufah,<ref name="Tabatabaei1979">{{Cite book |title=Shi'ite Islam |last=Tabatabaei |first=Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn |publisher=Suny Press |year=1979 |isbn=978-0-87395-272-9 |pages=192}}</ref><ref name="Kamil2008">{{cite book |last=al-Qummi |first=Ja'far ibn Qūlawayh |translator=Sayyid Mohsen al-Husaini al-Mīlāni |title=Kāmil al-Ziyārāt |year=2008 |publisher=Shiabooks.ca Press |pages=66–67}}</ref> Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiyyah{{efn|Kadhimyyah used to be a township of its own, but is now a part of the city of Baghdad.<ref name="EOIAH, Kadhimiyyah">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Kadhimiya |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Iranian Architectural History |language=fa |url=http://iranshahrpedia.ir/view/9341 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003210802/http://iranshahrpedia.ir/view/9341 |archive-date=3 October 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} and [[Place:Samarra|Samarra]],<ref name="AI2006">{{cite web |title=History of the Shrine of Imam Ali al-Naqi & Imam Hasan Al-Askari, Peace Be Upon Them |work=Al-Islam.org |url=http://www.al-islam.org/shrines/samarra.htm |access-date=23 February 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060223121838/http://www.al-islam.org/shrines/samarra.htm |archive-date= 23 February 2006 <!--DASHBot-->|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC2007Unesco">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6248244.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Unesco names World Heritage sites | date=2007-06-28 | access-date=2010-05-23}}</ref> since the Monotheistic preachers Ibrāhīm ([[Biography:Abraham|Abraham]]) and Lūṭ (Lot),<ref name="qref|26|160|b=y">{{qref|26|160|b=y}}</ref> who are regarded as Prophets in Islam,<ref name="Wheeler2002">{{cite book |last=Wheeler |first=Brannon M. |title=Prophets in the Quran: an introduction to the Quran and Muslim exegesis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qIDZIep-GIQC&q=%2225+prophets+mentioned+by+name%22&pg=PA8 |series=Comparative Islamic studies |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-8264-4957-3 |pages=1–393}}</ref> are believed to have lived in the ancient Iraqi city of Kutha Rabba,<ref name="MAH">''History of Islam'', volume 1, by Professor Masudul Hasan.{{page needed|date=September 2021}}{{edition needed|date=September 2021}}</ref> before going to "[[Religion:Holy Land|The Blessed Land]]".<ref name="qref|21|51|b=y}">{{qref|21|51|b=y}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Then We delivered him(Ibrahim), along with Lot, to the land We had showered with blessings for all people.|{{qref|21|71|b=yl}}}}

Aside from the story of Abraham and Lot in Polytheistic<ref name="Brit, AMR">{{cite web |author=Jacobsen, Thorkild |title=Mesopotamian religion |date=3 October 2023 |publisher=Britannica.com |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mesopotamian-religion}}</ref> [[Place:Mesopotamia|Mesopotamia]],<ref name="MAH"/><ref name="qref|21|51|b=y}"/> there are passages in the Quran about [[Unsolved:Mount Judi|Mount Judi]],<ref name="qref|11|44|b=y">{{qref|11|44|b=y}}</ref><ref name="qref|23|23|b=y">{{qref|23|23|b=y}}</ref><ref name="Lewis1984">J. P. Lewis, ''Noah and the Flood: In Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Tradition'', The Biblical Archaeologist, December 1984, p.237</ref> Babil ("Babylon")<ref name="qref|2|102|b=y">{{qref|2|102|b=y}}</ref><ref name=JE>Morris Jastrow, Ira Maurice Price, Marcus Jastrow, Louis Ginzberg, and Duncan B. MacDonald; "[http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2279-babel-tower-of Babel, Tower of]", ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]''; Funk & Wagnalls, 1906.</ref> and ''[[Place:Nineveh|Qaryat Yunus]]'' ("Town of Jonah").<ref name="qref|10|98|b=y">{{qref|10|98|b=y}}</ref><ref name="IbnHisham, V.1, P.419–421">Summarized from the book of story of Muhammad by Ibn Hisham Volume 1 pg.419–421</ref><ref name=SycOrth>{{cite web|title=Three Day Fast of Nineveh |url=http://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/news/2011/02/10/three-day-fast-of-nineveh/ |publisher=Syrian orthodox Church |access-date=1 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025123007/http://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/news/2011/02/10/three-day-fast-of-nineveh/ |archive-date=2012-10-25}}</ref>

===Hadith===
There are many Shia traditions that narrate the status of Karbala:

{{blockquote|"Karbala, where [[Biography:Husayn ibn Ali|your grandson]] and his family will be killed, is the most blessed and sacred land on Earth, and it is one of the valleys of Paradise."<ref>{{cite book |last=al-Qummi |first=Ja'far ibn Qūlawayh |translator=Sayyid Mohsen al-Husaini al-Mīlāni |title=Kāmil al-Ziyārāt |year=2008 |publisher= Shiabooks.ca Press |page=545 |chapter=Addendum before chapter 89}}</ref> |The archangel [[Biography:Gabriel|Gabriel]]}}


{{blockquote|"Not one night passes in which [[Biography:Gabriel|Gabriel]] and [[Religion:Michael (archangel)|Michael]] do not go to visit him [Husayn]."<ref>{{cite book |last=al-Qummi |first=Ja'far ibn Qūlawayh |translator=Sayyid Mohsen al-Husaini al-Milani |title=Kāmil al-Ziyārāt |year=2008 |publisher= Shiabooks.ca Press |page=536 |chapter=88}}</ref> |Ja'far as-Sādiq}}

Thus the tomb of the martyred Imam has acquired this great significance in Shi'ite tradition because the Imam and his fellow martyrs are seen as models of jihad in the way of God. Shi'ites believe that Karbala is one of the holiest places on Earth according to the following traditions (among others):
* The angel [[Biography:Gabriel|Gabriel]] narrated to [[Biography:Muhammad|Muhammad]] that:<ref name="kamil01"/>
{{blockquote|text=Karbala, where your grandson and his family will be martyred, is one of the most blessed and the most sacred lands on Earth, and it is one of the valleys of Paradise.}}
* The fourth Shi'ite Imam, that is Zayn al-Abidin narrated:<ref>{{cite book |last=al-Qummi |first=Ja'far ibn Qūlawayh |translator=Sayyid Mohsen al-Husaini al-Mīlāni |title=Kāmil al-Ziyārāt |year=2008 |publisher= Shiabooks.ca Press |page=534}}</ref>
{{blockquote|text=God chose the land of Karbalā' as a safe and blessed sanctuary twenty-four thousand years before He created the land of the Ka'bah and chose it as a sanctuary. Verily it (Karbala) will shine among the gardens of Paradise like a shining star shines among the stars for the people of Earth.}}
* In this regard, Ja'far al-Sadiq narrates, 'Allah, the Almighty, has made the dust of my ancestor's grave – Imam Husain (r.a) as a cure for every sickness and safety from every fear.'<ref>Amali by Shaykh Tusi, vol. 1 pg. 326</ref>
* It is narrated from Ja'far that: "The earth of the pure and holy grave of Husayn ibn ‘Ali (r.a) is a pure and blessed musk. For those who consume it, it is a cure for every ailment, and if our enemy uses it then he will melt the way fat melts, when you intend to consume that pure earth recite the following supplication"<ref>Mustadrakul Wasail, vol. 10, pg 339-40 tradition 2; Jadid Makarimul Akhlaq pg.189; Beharul Anwaar vol. 101, tradition 60</ref>

==Culture==
===Sports===

Karbalaa FC is a football club based in Karbala.

===Media===
There are many references in books in films to "Karbala", generally referring to Husayn's death at the Battle of Karbala. Husayn is often depicted on a white horse impaled by arrows.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} There are films and documentaries about the events of Karbala in both animated and realistic form{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

===University===
{{main|Organization:Ahlulbait University College}}
[[File:Karbala City (1).jpg|thumb|Karbala at night.]]
[[Religion:Hawza|Hawza]] are the Islamic education institutions that are run collectively by mujtahid or Allamas to teach Shia Muslims and guide them through the rigorous journey of becoming an Alim. In terms of the Hawza in Karbala, after the death of a renowned Alama, the Sayyid Muhammad, the leadership in terms of teacher shifted to taqlid to mujtahid. This was a significant factor that lead to the leadership of Ulama to reside in Karbala and as well as Najaf. Initially Karbala's hawza (Islamic education institution) consisted mostly of Iranians and Turkish Ulama. After the death of Sharif-ul-Ulama Mazandarani in 1830 and the repression of the shia population by the Ottomans in 1843 both played an important role in the relocation of many Ulamas and thus Najaf becoming the center of Shia Islamic leadership in education.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Shi'i Scholars of Nineteenth Century: The Ulama of Najaf and Karbala|last=Litvak |first=Meir|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1998|isbn=0-521-62356-1|location=United Kingdom|pages=51–141}}</ref>

As of now, there are two universities in Karbala. University of Karbala, which was inaugurated on March 1, 2002, is one of the top most universities in Iraq regarding academic administration, human resources, and scientific research.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://en.uokerbala.edu.iq/index.php/about-us-uni|title=Karbala University: A General View|website=University of Karbala|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010075548/http://en.uokerbala.edu.iq/index.php/about-us-uni|archive-date=2017-10-10|url-status=dead|access-date=2017-04-21}}</ref> The Ahl Al Bayt University was founded in September 2003 by Dr. Mohsen Baqir Mohammed-Salih Al-Qazwini. The university has six major colleges: College of Law, Arts, Islamic Sciences, Medical & Health Technology, Pharmacy and Dentistry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abu.edu.iq/en|title=Ahl Al Bayt University Website|website=Ahl Al Bayt University|access-date=2019-11-23}}</ref>

Warith al-Anbiya University in Karbala, has recently been established under a project of Husayn Holy Shrine, having the faculties of engineering, administration, economics, law and pathology, which is ready to receive students for the first academic year 2017–2018.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ali Tekmaji| url=http://im.imamhussain.org/english/reports/7306|title= Karbala opens new advanced academic university|publisher=Imam Hussein Holy Shrine (International Media) |date=September 20, 2017 |access-date=September 23, 2017}}</ref>

===Indian subcontinent===
In the [[Earth:Indian subcontinent|Indian subcontinent]], ''Karbala'', apart from meaning the city of Karbala (which is usually referred to as ''Karbala-e-Mualla'' meaning Karbala the exalted), also means local grounds where commemorative processions end and/or ''ta'zīya'' are buried during Ashura or Arba'een, usually such grounds will have ''shabeeh'' (copy) of ''Rauza'' or some other structures.<ref>[http://ora.ouls.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid%3A8307ae11-21a4-4a2e-95b0-cb76d59212fb/datastreams/ATTACHMENT03 (Re-)defining Some Genre-Specific Words: Evidence from some English Texts about Ashura], Muhammad-Reza Fakhr-Rohani, University of Qom, Iran</ref><ref>A citation from Fruzzetti, "Muslim Rituals," for this use of Karbala is as follows: "The Muslims then proceed to 'Karbala' to bury the flowers which were used to decorate the tazziyas, the tazziyas themselves being kept for the next year's celebration." (pp. 108–109).</ref>

In South Asia where ''ta'zīya'' refer to specifically to the miniature mausoleums used in processions held in Muharram. It all started from the fact that the great distance of India from Karbala prevented Indian Shi'is being buried near the tomb of Husayn or making frequent pilgrimages ([[Religion:Ziyarat|ziyarat]]) to the tomb. This is the reason why Indian Shi'is established local karbalas on the subcontinent by bringing soil from Karbala and sprinkling it on lots designated as future cemeteries. Once the karbalas were established on the subcontinent, the next step was to bring Husayn's tomb-shrine to India. This was established by building replicas of Husayn's mausoleum called ''ta'zīya'' to be carried in Muharram processions. Thousands of ''ta'zīyas'' in various shapes and sizes are made every year for the months of mourning of Muharram and Safar; and are carried in processions and may be buried at the end of Ashura or Arba'een.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Behrens-Abouseif|first1=Doris|last2=Vernoit|first2=Stephen|title=Islamic Art in the 19th Century: Tradition, Innovation, And Eclecticism|year=2006|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9004144420|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A4q58Af5zAoC&q=taziya+in+India&pg=PA413|access-date=12 August 2016|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Religion:Battle of Karbala|Battle of Karbala]]
* 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq
* [[Religion:Battle of Karbala (1991)|Battle of Karbala (1991)]]
*Battle of Karbala (2003)
* 2003 Karbala bombings
* 2004 Ashura massacre
* 2007 Karbala mosque bombings
*Karbala raid
* [[Religion:Arba'een|Arba'een]]
* Karbala, Iran

== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
===Published in the 19th century===
* {{cite book |title=Dictionnaire geographique, historique, descriptif, acheologique des pèlerinages anciens et modernes |year=1859 |location=Paris |language=fr |editor=Louis de Sivry |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jRsAAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA859|chapter=Karbala }}

===Published in the 20th century===

===Published in the 21st century===
* {{cite book |title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World |editor=C. Edmund Bosworth |year=2007 |publisher=Koninklijke Brill |location=Leiden |chapter=Karbala }}
* {{Citation |publisher = [[Company:ABC-CLIO|ABC-CLIO]] |location = Santa Barbara, USA |editor1 = Michael R.T. Dumper |editor2=Bruce E. Stanley |title = Cities of the Middle East and North Africa |date = 2008 |chapter= Karbala }}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage}}
*[http://www.sacred-destinations.com/iraq/karbala.htm Shia Shrines of Karbala] – Sacred Destinations
*[http://www.123shayari.com/category/karbala-shayari/ Shia Karbala Poetry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106044903/http://www.123shayari.com/category/karbala-shayari/ |date=6 November 2013 }}
*[https://archive.today/20130108100039/http://indianmuslims.in/karbala-a-lesson-for-mankind/ Karbala – A Lesson for Mankind] (archived)
*[http://www.smsblaze.com/category/karbala-sms/ Karbala Quotes and Sayings]
*[http://minhaj-al-nubuwwah.cf/karbala.html Karbala and Martyrdom]
*[http://twelvershia.net/2016/01/29/karbala-the-facts-and-the-fairytales/ Karbala – The Facts and the Fairy-tales]
*[https://www.al-islam.org/articles/karbala-the-chain-of-events-ramzan-sabir Karbala, the Chain of Events]



[[Category:District capitals of Iraq]]

{{Sourceattribution|Karbala}}