| Duration: | 1 Day(s) - 1 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Full Day Tours |
Karbala:
The city of Karbala is located 102 km from the city of Baghdad, and Yaqut Al-Hamawi mentioned in his Mu’jam Al-Buldan book in the origin of the city’s name: “As for the name’s origin, “Karbala” is the loose in the feet, we say: he came walking then his “Karbala”, so it is permissible to think that it was named as such for that the land of this place is loose”. As for Al-Karmali, he says in some of the researchers’ books that Karbala is carved from two words: “Karb” and “Allah” meaning Allah’s sanctuary or mosque.
Among the most prominent monuments in the city are:-
Imam Ali Dropper Shrine:
It is a fountain called Imam Ali Dropper Shrine, located in the western desert of Karbala governorate, about 28 km away from the governorate center near Razzaza Lake. Historians say that when Imam Ali went to Sifin, his army caught up with thirst, then Imam Ali found in the middle of the desert a rock, which he peeled with his hand, and fresh water came out of it and is still flowing therefrom until now.
The area is defined from the end of the Kufa and Najaf plateau overlooking the depression of Razzaza Lake, where there was a lot of streams of water that descended through the layers of the plateau’s soil. In the mid-nineties, this site was considered to have a connection with one of the narrations that indicate that Imam Ali came to this site seeking water.
Al-Ukhaydir Fort:
It is considered one of the greatest forts in the Middle East and the best Arab building that shows Islamic architecture. The fort belongs to the Karbala governorate and is located in the district of Ain Tamr, which is 15 km from Baghdad and 50 km southwest of the city of Karbala. Its ancient location was at the crossroads of trade routes and caravans passing between the cities of Kufa, Basra, Mosul, Damascus and the Levant. Al-Ukhaydir fort is considered as the mysterious secret that historians' studies were unable to determine the date and reason for its construction and the origin of its name, as most of the sayings in this regard do not go beyond the limits of assumptions.
Al-Uqaisir Church or Al-Qusair Church:
It is 5 km away from Al-Ukhaydir fort. Its construction dates back to the fifth century AD, and it is considered the oldest church in the Middle East, built of limestone and fixed with plaster.
Al-Uqaisir Church is a very old Christian settlement that was built in the middle of the desert for fear of the authority at the time, and it used to take water from underground wells. The Sassanid state was tolerant of this church, in defiance of the Romans.
Its traces are still clear with Aramaic inscriptions on its walls, in addition to the existence of the altar, which faces towards Jerusalem, which is elevated by the rest of the church floor. You can also see the monuments of the graves near the Church. The word "Qusair" is local, and it is a diminutive of the Arabic word for “Palace”.
