Asia

[Visited: January 2022]

When we are on our way down from the palace of Saddam Hussein in Babylon, we realise that all in all, our visit has taken us much more time than expected. Still, we have not forgotten the invitation a group of Iraqi women made before we went up. Other people invite us to eat and drink, but we decline as we do not want to let the women down. When we get closer, we wonder if they are still there. In fact, when we arrive, most of them are seated in a minivan and the tables are empty. As soon as they see us, they start to smile, take out the leftovers, fold out a cover, and put all the food they have on the ground with a proud smile. It turns out to be tasty: fish, vegetables, salad, and bread. We get fruit and drinks as well. We also take pictures, talk as good as we can, and then, the ladies find out where we are heading next: Karbala. It so turns out that that is where they are also going, so before we know it, we are invited into their van. We first need to get our bags from Ishtar Gate, have to look for some kids, and then Karbala turns out to be a relatively short drive.
After finding a hotel, we are directly outside for a nightly exploration of the holy city. Karbala is a holy city for Shiite Muslims, on a par with Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. It is not difficult to find the Al-Abbas shrine, the nearest holy place to our accommodation: its golden dome and minarets are well-lit and tower high above the street. We are drawn to them as if they had a magnet. Al-Abbas ibn Ali died in 680CE, and was buried at this same spot. His mausoleum has long since become a destination for pilgrims, and millions of Shia Muslims visit every year. We first walk around the extensive complex, marvel at the finely decorated arches at the entrance, with alcoves, with half-domes, richly adorned with blue, green and white tiles. We get rid of our shoes, my travel partner gets herself a covering dress, and enter the shrine.
Once inside, we are separated: there is a female section and a male section. I walk into a large hall. The floor is covered by carpets where men sit and lie, there are iron fences, and I walk straight to the centre of the shrine. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, which is covered in shiny silver decorations. When I follow the crowd, through a narrow corridor, I reach the shrine proper: the burial place of Al-Abbas. The shrine and the ceiling are all covered in glittery silver. Men mumble, men hold on to the fence surrounding the grave, men kiss the bars, men cry, while some shout slogans which I cannot understand. I miraculously find my travel friend outside, and we walk to the rectangular square that separate the shrine of Al-Abbas from the shrine of Imam Husayn. He was the third imam of Islam, and just like the Al-Abbas shrine, a major destination for pilgrims from around the world. There is a similar frenzy of people rushing towards the shrine itself, and similar scenes around the grave. We are back the next day, and walk a similar route. This time, we do not enter the shrines, and concentrate on the outside of the buildings, observing the people in their religious fervour going in and out of the holy places. We see a group of men carry a casket into the Al-Abbas shrine and wonder where it will end up. It is noticeably more quiet now; we try to imagine this same place during the period when pilgrims come here in big crowds to visit.

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Karbala holy shrines (Iraq)

Karbala holy shrines > Iraq > Asia

[Visited: January 2022]

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