Karbala

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Shrine of Karbala

Karbala (Arabic: كربلاء‎ ; BGN: Karbalā’; also spelled Kerbala, Kerbela, Karbila) is a city in Iraq, located about 100 km southwest of Baghdad at 32.61°N, 44.08°E. In the time of Hussayn ibn ˤAlī's life, the place was also known as al-Ghadiriya, Nainawa, and Shathi'ul-Furat. The estimated population in 2003 was 572,300 people. It is the capital of Al Karbala Province. Shīˤa Muslims consider Karbala to be one of their holiest cities. Sunni Islam itself regardes the city as its fourth holiest site, after Mecca, Medina and Najaf.

The city is best known as the location of the Battle of Karbala.

1 Etymology
2 About the city
3 History
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Etymology

There are many theories as to the meaning of the name Karbala. Many believe its origin is from the old Assyrian langauge, composing two syllables: "Karb"; meaning "near", and "ala" (corrupted from "Iyle" an Aramaic word) standing for "God." ^[1] ^[2] ^[3]^[4] Others, like geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi believe the name to be derived from the Arabic language, meaning "soft earth" (corrupted from karbalat.) ^[5] Some also believe the origin may be Persian formed from the words Kaar, meaning "work", and bolo, meaning "the higher".

[edit] About the city

The city is one of Iraq's wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. It is made up of two districts, "Old Karbala," the religious centre, and "New Karbala," the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings.

At the centre of the old city is the Masjidu l-Hussayn, the tomb of Hussayn ibn ˤAlī, grandson of the Prophet Muħammad by his daughter Fatima az-Zahra and ˤAlī ibn Abī Tālib. Hussayn's tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many Shīˤa Muslims, especially on the anniversary of the battle, the Day of Āshūrā. Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death, as they believe the tomb to be one of the gates to paradise. Another focal point of the Shīˤa pilgrimage to Karbala is al-Makhayam, traditionally believed to be the location of Hussayn's camp, where the martyrdom of Hussayn and his followers is publicly commemorated.

The city's association with Shīˤa Islām have made it a centre of religious instruction as well as worship; it has more than 100 mosques and 23 religious schools, of which possibly the most famous is that of Ibn Fahid, constructed some 440 years ago.

[edit] History

The city is extremely ancient and it was in use as a Christian graveyard prior to the Islamic conquest. Here lies the ruin of the oldest Church in Iraq, called Al-Qusair.

Karbala's prominence in Shīˤī is the result of the Battle of Karbala, fought on the site of the modern city on the Tenth of Muħarram in 61 A.H. (October 10, 680). Both Hussayn and his half-brother ˤAbbās ibn ˤAlī were buried by the local Banī Asad tribe at what later became known as the Mashadu l-Hussayn. The city grew up around the tombs, though the date of construction of the first sanctuary is not known.

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 235 AH (850 CE) but was rebuilt in its present form around 369 AH (979 CE), only to be partly destroyed by fire in 1086 CE and rebuilt yet again.

Like 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 Hussayniyya Canal. In 1737 CE, the city replaced Isfahan in Iran as the main centre of Shīˤa scholarship. It suffered severe damage in 1801 CE when an invading Wahhabi army sacked the city. Following the Wahhabi invasion, the city's sheikhs established a self-governing republic which was ended by a reimposition of Ottoman rule in 1843. This prompted many students and scholars to move to Najaf, which became the main Shīˤa religious centre.

Mosque in Karbala (1932)

Karbala's development was strongly influenced by the Persians, who were the dominant community for many years (making up 75% of the city's population by the early 20th century). The Kammuna family, relatives of the Shah of Iran, were custodians of the shrines for many years and effectively ran the city until it fell under the control of the British Empire in 1915. The Persian influence was deliberately reduced under British rule, with a series of nationality laws (such as a prohibition on foreigners occupying government posts) being introduced to squeeze out the Persian community. By 1957, they accounted for only 12% of the city's population. They were subsequently assimilated into the Iraqi population, accepting Iraqi nationality.

The association of the city with Shīˤa religious traditions led to it being treated with suspicion by Iraq's Sunni rulers. Under Saddam Hussein's rule, Shīˤa religious observances in the city were greatly restricted and many non-Iraqi Shīˤa were not permitted to travel there at all.

In 1991, the city was badly damaged and many killed when a rebellion by local Shīˤa was put down with great brutality by Saddam's regime. The 2004 pilgrimage was the largest for decades, with over a million people attending. It was marred by bomb attacks on March 2, 2004 (10 Muħarram 1425 AH), now known as the Ashoura massacre, which killed and wounded hundreds despite tight security in the city. Nonetheless, some conspiracy theorists believe that it was a remote-type bombing probably done by a foreign intelligence agency.

Worshippers heard SCIRI leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim repeat demands for legislation to let mainly Shia regions of the oil-rich south merge into an autonomous federal region that would neighbour Iran.

A big Shia festival passed off peacefully amid fears of possible violence that brought thousands of troops and police into the city. Hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims who had come together to celebrate the Shaabaniya ritual began leaving the southern city after September 9, 2006 climax ended days of chanting, praying and feasting. Heavy presence by police and Iraqi troops seemed to have kept out Sunni Al-Qaeda suicide bombers who have disrupted previous rituals. Three million people attended. Worshippers heard SCIRI leader Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim repeat demands for legislation to let mainly Shia regions of the oil-rich south merge into an autonomous federal region that would neighbour Iran. ^[6]