Karbal??

views updated

Karbalāʾ. The place where the Prophet Muḥammad's grandson, al-Ḥusain b. ʿAlī, was killed and his headless body buried. The tragedy at Karbalāʾ marks an important point in the development of Shiʿism, and therefore the place attracts many pilgrims. The shrine of the third Shīʿa Imām, al-Ḥusain, is enclosed in a beautiful sanctuary called Mashad al-Ḥusayn (tomb chapel of Ḥusain).

More From encyclopedia.com