Karbala

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. the site of a pivotal event for Shiite Muslims that is commemorated annually
2. a cultural and religious center attracting pilgrims due to its historical and spiritual importance
3. A significant location in Iraq where a notable historical battle took place, marking a critical moment in Islamic history

Etymology: Karbala is a city in central Iraq, and its name is one of those Arabic place names whose origin nobody has pinned down. The Arabic form, karbalāʔ, has been used for centuries, and the sources that discuss it generally agree that the etymology remains uncertain. Proposed explanations tend to split the name into parts, but none has won wide acceptance, so the most honest account is that the word's ultimate roots are unknown. What is well documented is the city's importance to Shia Islam. Karbala is the site where Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed in 680 CE at the Battle of Karbala. His shrine there, along with that of his half-brother Abbas, makes the city one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Islamic world. The name became attached to the event and the place so closely that for many readers of English it now refers as much to the battle and its commemoration as to the city itself.