Karbala

Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Baghdad, and a few miles east of Lake Milh, also known as Razzaza Lake. Karbala is one of the main political, spiritual and cultural hubs of Shi'a Islam.

The city, best known as the location of the battle of Karbala in 680 AD between Husayn ibn Ali and his band of several dozen followers, including some armed women, and several thousand soldiers led by General Umar ibn Sa'd on behalf of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, the local governor. With presence of the shrines of Hussain and Abbas, Karbala is considered a holy city for Muslims. Soon, Karbala emerged as an important center of pilgrimage for Shiite Muslims across the world. During the Abbasid era, the city witnessed many events. After the fall of Baghdad in 1258, Karbala came under the control of Mongolian Empire led by Hulegu Khan. The city continued to be under multiple successive empires.

Tens of millions of Shi'ite Muslims visit the site twice a year. The martyrdom of Husayn ibn 'Ali and Abbas ibn 'Ali is commemorated annually by nearly 100 million Shi'ites in the city. Up to 34 million pilgrims visit the city to observe ʿĀshūrāʾ (the tenth day of Muharram), which marks the anniversary of Husayn's death, but the main event is the Arbaʿeen (the 40th day after 'Ashura'), where up to 40 million visit the graves. Most of the pilgrims travel on foot and come from all around Iraq and more than 56 countries.

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. 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 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—al-Karbalāt.

Another theory suggests that this word originates from the Assyrian language and is a combination of two terms: "karb" (meaning proximity or sanctuary / cherub and cherubim) and "ila" (meaning God), thus signifying "sanctuary of God" or "house of God." According to another theory, the word means "great karb," and the element "la" in it should be compared to the ancient "La\Lu" component found in Mesopotamian words (such as the word "Lugal"). In Shi'a Islamic tradition, there are also two hadiths from Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Prophet of Islam that establish a connection between Karbala and the concepts of "karb" (distress) and "bala" (affliction) in the first narration, as well as the event of Noah's flood—which is referred to in the Qur'an as "great karb"—in the second narration.

According to Shia's belief, the archangel Gabriel narrated the true meaning of the name Karbala to Muhammad: a combination of karb (Arabic: كَرْب, "the land which will cause many agonies") and balāʾ (Arabic: بَلاء, "afflictions").

Mesopotamia has been mentioned in Quran. Some Shi'ites consider this verse of the Quran to refer to Iraq, the land of the Shi'ite sacred sites of Kufah, Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiyyah and Samarra, since the Monotheistic preachers Ibrāhīm (Abraham) and Lūṭ (Lot), who are regarded as Prophets in Islam, are believed to have lived in the ancient Iraqi city of Kutha Rabba, before going to "The Blessed Land".