Jerusalem and Karbala BY: Matthew Howard, Ryan Morgan, and Camille Sebastian

Karbala

History of Karbala Karbala, Iraq The site of the massacre of Husayn (the

grandson of Muhammad and son of Ali), his companions, and his family.

A golden dome was constructed to surround the tomb of Husayn.

The city was constructed on the 12th Muharram (the first month on the Islamic calendar) after the Battle of Karbala.

Battle of Karbala

Karbala Today One of Iraq’s wealthiest cities due to

religious visitors and agricultural produce.

Split into two districts: Old Karbala and New Karbala.

Old Karbala: religious center, the tomb of Husayn lies in the center of Old Karbala.

New Karbala: residential district

Karbala’s Importance To this day, Karbala is a major place of

pilgrimage for Shi’ah Muslims. At the center of the Old Karbala, is the tomb of

Husayn, the son of Ali. Husayn’s tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many

Shi’ah Muslims, especially on Ashura (solemn day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn).

Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death because they believe it’s the gate to paradise.

Jerusalem

History of Jerusalem Holy for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Muslims believe Muhammad made his

night journey to this city. At the end of the seventh century,

Muslims restored the ruined Temple Mount area, which they call the Noble Sanctuary.

Honoring Muhammad’s Night Journey, Muslims built a shrine called the Dome of the Rock.

South Temple Mount

Jerusalem and the Crusades 1099 – the conquest of Jerusalem by the

crusaders during the First Crusade. The armies of the Christian Crusade were

able to hold Jerusalem for about 90 years. Some famous churches in Jerusalem were

built during the Crusades by Crusaders wishing to memorialize sites they believed had great Christian significance. Such as St. Anne’s and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

St. Anne’s Church

Importance of Jerusalem Muhammad was taken miraculously to the Temple

Mount in Jerusalem on a winged horse during his “Night Journey”

There, Muhammad had a brief ascension into heaven where he believed God called upon him to institute the practice of praying 5 times daily.

The “Farthest Mosque”, referring to the farthest of holy places from the Kab’ah, was built. This is the largest mosque in Jerusalem with the capacity for 5,000 people.

First Qiblah for Muslims (place where they turn in prayer.

Works Cited Exploring the Religions of Our World textbook. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/312214/Ba

ttle-of-Karbala

http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/places/karbala.htm http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/karbala.htm http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/places/

jerusalem.htm http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-pl

aces/jerusalem/what-were-the-crusades-and-how-did-they-impact-jerusalem/

http://islam.about.com/od/jerusalem/a/quds.htm