Karbala is a real, living city today, not just the name of a historical event. It sits in Iraq, about 100 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, and every year it welcomes millions of pilgrims from around the world.
Karbala on the Map Today
Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate in Iraq, located near the Euphrates River. Not far away lies the city of Najaf, where Imam Ali is buried; together, the two cities, along with the walking route that connects them, form one of the most important pilgrimage destinations for Shia Muslims worldwide.
Karbala’s population today is over one million people, and the city is one of the main economic and cultural centers of southern Iraq. A large share of the local economy, directly or indirectly, depends on pilgrimage and related services, from hotels to religious handicrafts.
What Exists in Karbala Today?
At the heart of the city stand two major shrines: the Shrine of Imam Husayn, built directly over his burial site, and the Shrine of Abbas (Imam Husayn’s brother, who was killed on the day of Ashura), a short distance away. With their golden domes and Islamic tilework, these two shrines rank today among the most significant religious buildings in the Middle East, both spiritually and architecturally.
Around these shrines, the modern city of Karbala has grown to include hotels, markets, and infrastructure built specifically to host millions of pilgrims. The courtyards surrounding the shrines are full of visitors even on ordinary days, not only during major religious occasions, arriving from countries including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, and many others.
Why Do Millions of People Travel to Karbala Every Year?
The largest annual event in Karbala is Arbaeen, the fortieth day after Ashura, when millions of pilgrims, most of them on foot, walk from Najaf to Karbala, a distance of roughly 80 kilometers. By some accounts, this walk has become one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world, in some years even surpassing the Hajj in the number of participants.
Along the route between Najaf and Karbala, hundreds of temporary rest stations known as mawakib spring up, where local Iraqi families, entirely as volunteers and free of charge, offer pilgrims food, water, and a place to rest.
Karbala at the Time of the Original Event
In 680 CE, when Imam Husayn and his companions were surrounded and killed in this same area, Karbala was little more than a sparsely populated plain on the bank of the Euphrates, nothing like the sprawling city it is today. Its growth into a major pilgrimage city unfolded gradually over the following centuries, especially after the shrines were built.
The name “Karbala” existed before the events of Ashura. Its exact etymology, possibly rooted in ancient languages of the region such as Aramaic or Akkadian, remains a matter of debate among linguists, with no single agreed-upon origin.
Administratively, Karbala today is the capital of Karbala Governorate in Iraq, connected to the rest of the country and the world by road and through Najaf International Airport, the nearest major airport to the city.
To understand why Imam Husayn made the journey that ended here, see why Imam Husayn went to Karbala, and for the full account of what happened on the day of Ashura, see the martyrdom of Imam Husayn.
Sources
- Al-Tabari, History of the Prophets and Kings (Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk)
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, Brill — entry “Karbala”