Karbala, for Shias this is one of the holiest places on Earth.

We arrived in Karbala after it had become dark. The city is car-free, so the bus had to leave us at the gate, and we had to walk to the hotel. This was day three of our trip through Iraq and Kurdistan. After being in Babylon in the morning, we arrived in Karbala in the early evening. Apart from knowing that Karbala is an essential city for the Shia Muslims, I did not know a lot about the city. This meant I learnt a lot in the next 24 hours.

To enter the city

As I said, the city is car-free, so you must leave your vehicle, carry your belongings, and walk into the hotel. Your luggage is scanned, and you are personally searched. In general, Iraq is not so strict about women’s clothes on the street, but inside mosques, they, of course, have to cover up. However, Karbala is a holy sight; women must cover up even in the street when they enter the gate.

Feeling the excitement

When entering this city, look at the other people entering with their luggage. In their eyes, you can see a thrilling sense of excitement. I can imagine that this is their first visit to this holy city. For many families, they might have saved for this trip for years. And the children are very excited. With slight envy, I wish I could have experienced such excitement sometimes. But I guess I had a similar excited feeling when I hiked around Salkantry Mountain last year, and after six days of hiking, I finally came through the Sun-gate and saw Machu Picchu. It was not spiritually, but still, an overwhelming sight.

Short history of Karbala

The city, best known as the location of the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, or for the shines of Hussain and Abbas, is considered a holy city for the Shia Muslims. Tens of millions of Shia Muslims visit the site every year. Most pilgrims travel on foot from around Iraq and more than 56 countries. The Battle of Karbala was fought on the bare deserts on the way to Kufa on October 10, 680 AD. Since all these names are unfamiliar to us, not Muslims, I will not go too deep into the story. The city began as a tomb and shrine to Hussain ibn Ali, grandson of Muhammad, and grew as a city to meet the needs of pilgrims. Also, Hussain’s brother Abbas has his shrine in Karbala, a few hundred meters away.

We have learned that not everything that’s glitters is gold.

In the last few years, I have been inside many Mosques in Muslim countries. There is a great variety of buildings and decorations, from relatively sober interiors to more “over the top” ones. Karbala and the Shia Muslims belong to the latter style. There has not been saved on anything, and this should all come from donations of wealthy Muslims. You can get the “big bling” experience. At the same time, except where that shrine is, people seem very relaxed, sitting in groups and talking. Even though women and men have separate entrances into the Mosque, they are not separated by screens inside, like in some other Mosques.

The importance of getting close

According to the Shias, it is essential for followers to be buried close to the martyrs and their shrines. However, for obvious reasons, this is not possible. So, the second best is to carry the coffins of the dead bodies close to the shrines so the bodies get some kind of blessing. This happened twice when I was there, which was a strange experience. A group of men comes in a hurry with the coffin on their shoulders, and it is not quiet when they pass by; I do not know if this is because they are not allowed to do this or not. In the picture above, I am outside, and you can see two coffins on the way into the Mosque, the first one draped in an Iraqi flag.

Lively outside

It was packed this evening, with people inside and out, but this was supposed to be a quiet day. On anniversary days, it gets packed here. People sit around in groups, eat, and have a good time. Pavilions with roofs and fans spread spray water along the square, which should be good on sweltering days. I was not out very late at night, but I did understand people sleep on the carpet in the pavilions. I also saw some places that gave free food to those who needed it.