Karbala Governorate (Arabic: محافظة كربلاء, Muḥāfażat Karbalāʾ) is a governorate in central Iraq. Its administrative center is the city of Karbala, a holy city for Shia Muslims for housing the shrine of the revered Imam Hussein. The population is majority Shia. The governorate includes part of the artificial Lake Milh.
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👉 Karbala Governorate in the context of 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 who was acting on the orders of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya 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.
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Karbala Governorate in the context of Imam Husayn Shrine
The Imam al Husayn Shrine (Arabic: مَقَام الإِمَامُ الْحُسَيْن اِبِنْ عَلي, romanized: Maqām al-ʾImām al-Ḥusayn ʾibn ʿAlī) is the mausoleum of Husayn ibn Ali and Shi'ite mosque, located in the holy city of Karbala, in the Karbala Governorate of Iraq. Husayn was a grandson of Muhammad, and the site is near the place where he embraced martyrdom during the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The tomb of Husayn is one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, outside of Mecca and Medina, and many make pilgrimages to the site. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the city to observe Ashura, which marks the commemoration of Husayn's death for all Muslims.
Karbala Governorate in the context of Al Abbas Mosque
The Al-Abbas Shrine (Arabic: حَرَم أَبا الْفَضْل الْعَبَّاس, romanized: Ḥaram ʿAba al-Faḍl al-ʿAbbās) is the mausoleum of Abbas ibn Ali and a Shi'ite mosque, situated near the Imam Husayn shrine, located in Karbala, in the Karbala Governorate of Iraq. Abbas was son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and the half-brother of both Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn. Abbas ibn Ali was Husayn's flag-bearer in the Battle of Karbala and chief of his caravans. One of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, the shrine is revered by Shia Muslims who visit it every year, especially in the month of Muharram.
Environmental effects over the years have caused the Euphrates river to change course. Nearly 1,400 years after the Battle of Karbala, the river flows across the grave of Abbas and encircles it. It is said that the Euphrates has come to ‘Abbās now.