Karbala
Karbala (Arabic: كربلاء) is a city in Southern Iraq. It is considered one of the holiest cities in the country.
Understand
Get in
Most travelers enter the city by bus or by car as the city does not yet have a functioning airport. Due to its religious importance, cities all across Iraq has regular bus services. The entrance to the city is well protected and check points are working hard on every single car that gets into the city. A new railway line has recently been built, and there are one or two trains each week from Baghdad and Basra. Extra trains are available on special occasions.
The Downtown Area is closed off and the entry of vehicles into the area of 1.5km around the holy shrines is forbidden except for security, the shrines' personnel and residents. Anyone else who wants to get in must put their car in a parking and get in either via the holy shrine buses or on foot.
Karbala railway station
See
There are also a lot of religious places around the Holy Shrines of Imam Hussen and Abu Al-fadhl Al-Abbas
Imam Hussein Holy ShrineOne of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, it contatins the grave of Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of the prophet Muhammad.
Hadrat Abbas ShrineHistorical building , the burial place of the brave son of Imam Ali (AS), and half-brother of Imam Hussein. The shrine is especially revered by the Shia who visit it every year, in the month of Muharram, and various other times of the year, to honour his legendary martyrdom in the Battle of Al-Taff.
Al Abbas MosqueThe mausoleum of ‘Abbās ibn ‘Alī, located across from the Imām Husayn Mosque. ‘Abbās was the half-brother of Hasan and Husayn, and was the flag-bearer for Husayn in the Battle of Al-Taff. The majority of the design was done by Persian and Central Asian architects. The central pear shaped dome is an ornately decorated structure with two tall minarets on its sides. The tomb is covered with pure gold and surrounded by a trellis of silver, along with Iranian carpets rolled out on the floors.
Al-Ukhaidir FortressA prime example of Abbasid architecture, built in 775 AD. The fortress has been a candidate for UNESCO World Heritage since 2000.
Do
Buy
Eat
Sleep
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phone: +964 78 344 037 40Newly opened hotel along Alhusseiniya Road. Within walking distance from the holy shrines. Includes several restaurants and a promenade along the river.
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phone: +964 771 800 1800Luxury hotel along just outside the city, along road from Baghdad.
Go next
- Najaf, another holy city in Iraq, with the Shrine of 'Ali.