Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business 
Karbala is a holy city in central Iraq, capital of Karbala Governorate, famous as the place where Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed in battle in 680, and for the golden-domed Imam Husayn Shrine, the Al-Abbas Shrine and the plaza of Bayn al-Haramayn between them. It is one of the most important pilgrimage cities in Shia Islam.
Life here revolves around the shrines. Pilgrims pray at Tel Zaynabiyah, where Husayn's sister Zaynab watched the battle, and at Al-Mukhayam al-Husayni, which marks the site of his camp. During Ashura and the Arbaeen Pilgrimage forty days later, millions arrive, many of them on foot, and the whole city becomes a vast place of mourning and hospitality.
Beyond the city lies desert. Lake Razzaza spreads to the west, the oasis of Ayn al-Tamr hides palm groves and the ruined Al-Aqiser Church, and the Abbasid Al-Ukhaidir Fortress stands about 50 km to the south. The shrines are places of worship for Muslim pilgrims: women must wear an abaya to enter, bags and phones are checked at the gates, and peak pilgrimage days are very crowded.
The Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala is the mausoleum of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the third Shia Imam, built where he fell in the Battle of Karbala in 680. Its golden dome and minarets crown halls of mirror work, and his sons Ali al-Akbar and Ali al-Asghar lie with him.
The Al-Abbas Shrine in Karbala holds the tomb of Abbas ibn Ali, Husayn's half-brother and standard-bearer, killed while fetching water for the camp's thirsty children. Under its gilded dome and golden minarets, a silver and gold zarih encloses the tomb, and pilgrims pray beside it night and day.
Bayn al-Haramayn in Karbala is the great open plaza, about 378 metres long, that links the Imam Husayn Shrine and the Al-Abbas Shrine, and tradition says the Battle of Karbala was fought here. Come at night, when both domes glow and the space fills with pilgrims walking between them.
The Al-Hurr Shrine stands about 5 km from the Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala and holds the grave of Al-Hurr ibn Yazid al-Tamimi, the Umayyad general sent to stop Husayn who changed sides and died fighting for him. His story of repentance makes the shrine a moving stop for pilgrims.
Tel Zaynabiyah in Karbala is a small raised mound near the Imam Husayn Shrine, remembered as the spot where Zaynab, Husayn's sister and the granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad, stood to watch the battle and the deaths of her brother and his companions. It is busiest during Ashura.
Al-Mukhayam al-Husayni in Karbala is a broad shrine in the old city, south-west of the Imam Husayn Shrine, that marks the place where Husayn and his companions pitched their tents before the battle. It is one of the best-known landmarks of the city and a key stop on any pilgrim's route.
The Arbaeen Pilgrimage brings millions of people to Karbala on the twentieth of Safar, forty days after Ashura, to visit the Imam Husayn Shrine. Many walk for days to get there, fed and sheltered for free by roadside tents, in what is described as the largest annual public gathering on earth.
Ashura in Karbala, the tenth day of Muharram, marks the anniversary of Husayn's death in 680 and is the most intense day of the year in the city. Huge processions, recitations of the Karbala story and mourning rituals fill the streets around the shrines, so plan any visit around it.
Al-Ukhaidir Fortress rises from the desert about 50 km south of Karbala, a vast rectangular palace-fortress built in 775 by Isa ibn Musa, nephew of the first Abbasid caliph. Its courtyards, vaulted halls and mosque were studied by Gertrude Bell, and it is on UNESCO's tentative list.
Lake Razzaza lies about 10 km west of Karbala, a large artificial lake created in the 1970s to take floodwater from the Euphrates via Lake Habbaniyah. Rising salt has hurt its fish, but its pale shores, fishing boats and desert setting make a striking drive, especially at sunset.
Ayn al-Tamr is an oasis town about 67 km west of Karbala, near Lake Razzaza, famous for its palm orchards, dates and mineral springs. Once a stop on the old pilgrim road to Mecca and the site of a battle in 633, it is also the base for visiting the ruins of the Al-Aqiser Church.
Al-Aqiser Church is an archaeological site near Ayn al-Tamr, west of Karbala, where the ruins of a church have been described as one of the oldest Eastern Christian churches. Until recent times it was linked to the Chaldean Catholic Church, but today it suffers from neglect and erosion.
No reviews yet. Been to Karbala? Be the first to share your experience.
Share what you loved, what to skip and tips for other travelers.
Log in to write a reviewBeen to Karbala? Add your best shots to the gallery.
Log in to add photosPhoto: Safa.daneshvar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Hekmat Al-Ayashi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: سید محمود جوادی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: SFC Larry E. Johns, USA, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: Amir Hesaminejad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Toushiro, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: aziz1005, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: سید محمود جوادی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: سید محمود جوادی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: سید محمود جوادی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: جبار محسن, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Toushiro, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Photo: سید محمود جوادی, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: ازهر حميد, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: ن.عامری, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Karbobala Photos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: جبار محسن, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: سيد محمود جوادى, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Md iet, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: سيد محمود جوادى, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: سيد محمود جوادى, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Photo: Mohammad Ali Marizad, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Vahid Jalali, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Vahid Jalali, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Vahid Jalali, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Vahid Jalali, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Omarfox ali, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: عمر سيروان, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: فاضل المياحي, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Montzr 1, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
