Battle of Karbala 680
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Year | 680 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
|---|---|---|
| Era | Medieval (500–1499) | derived from year |
| Location | Iraq | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Second Fitna | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 32.6153, 44.0314 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Karbala (Arabic: مَعْرَكَة كَرْبَلَاء, romanized: Maʿrakat Karbalāʾ) was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 AH of the Islamic calendar) between the forces of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I (r. 680–683), and a small army led by Husayn ibn Ali, second son of Ali and grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, at Karbala, in modern-day southern Iraq.
Prior to his death, the Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I (r. 661–680) appointed his son Yazid as his successor, making the caliphate hereditary. Yazid's nomination was contested by Husayn and other notables, and after Mu'awiya died in 680, Yazid demanded allegiance from Husayn and the other dissidents. Husayn refused and took refuge in Mecca. While Husayn was in Mecca, the residents of Kufa, the center of Ali's caliphate, sent him numerous letters inviting him to overthrow Umayyad rule, and pledging their allegiance to him. Husayn first sent his cousin, Muslim ibn Aqil, to Kufa to assess the situation and the genuineness of their support. After receiving a favorable report from Muslim, Husayn accepted their invitation and traveled toward the city in response to their calls.
On his way to Kufa with about 72 men, Husayn's caravan was intercepted by a 1,000-strong army of the caliph at some distance from Kufa.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Karbala (revision 1380718336), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Second Fitna
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- Battle of Khazir 686
- Battle of Maskin 691
- Siege of Mecca (692) 692
All 8 battles of the Second Fitna →
Browse more: battles in Iraq · Asia · Medieval battles