Karbala

Karbala, also known as Kerbala, is a city in central Iraq, approximately 100 kilometers southwest of Baghdad and a few dozen miles east of Lake Milh. Karbala is the capital of the Karbala Governorate and has a population of approximately 700,000 people.

The city, best known as the site of the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE or the Mosques of Imam Husayn and Abbas, is revered by Shi'ite Muslims in the same manner as Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem are. Tens of millions of Shi'ite Muslims visit the site twice a year, making it a pilgrimage destination on par with Mecca.

Millions of Shi'ites commemorate Husayn ibn Ali's martyrdom every year. Up to 8 million pilgrims visit the city to commemorate Ashura (the tenth day of Muharram), the anniversary of Husayn's death, but the biggest event is the Arba‘īn (the 40th day after Ashura) when up to 30 million visit the holy cemeteries. The majority of pilgrims walk from all around Iraq and more than 56 nations.

Location: Karbala, Iraq