The city of Karbala, in Iraq with 572,000 inhabitants (2003 estimate), located about 50 kilometres southeast of capital city of Baghdad.

Karbala is one of the most sacred cities in Islam, but it is for the Shi'as that it plays the vital role. In 680 Husain ibn Ali claimed at the position of Caliph. His group had been pledged that they would take over the Caliphate, when Caliph Mu'awiyya died. But after his demise in 680, this pledge was not meant to be kept and Yazid seized control.

The word Karbala is formed from two Assyrian words which mean sacred precinct of Allah. On the other hand, it can be understood that the word Karbala is derived from the word Al-Kirbah which means softness, considering the softness of soil. As a result it was named as Karbala due the softness of land. Or it may be derived from the word spotlessness or purity, because it is used to be said in Arabic Kar'baltul Hintah, means I purify the wheat or made it clean it. Thus based on that we can say Karbala is named as Karbala because the land has been purified from gravels and forest.

For Shi’as Karbala is believed to be a bridge to Paradise, therefore many have over the centuries had their bodies carried to Karbala to be buried here.