Imam number 1Iraq · Saudi Arabia · Iran
Prepare for your ziyarat with understanding
Explore sacred places, plan your pilgrimage, and deepen your understanding of the Ahlulbayt and Imam Mahdi—with clear English guides and devotional resources.
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Explore holy places
The shrines of Karbala, Najaf, Kufa, Medina and beyond, and who is honoured at each.
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Plan my visit
Seasons, stays, safety, a packing checklist and a day-by-day trip plan.
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Read duas and ziyarat
Supplications and ziyarat texts in Arabic, with transliteration and English.
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Allah’s Messenger · The final Prophet
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Sent as a mercy to the worlds. Read about his life, character and teachings, and how to visit him in Medina.
مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ
صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم
The Twelve Imams
All holy sitesDiscover the Twelve Imams (AS), their lives and the sacred places associated with them.
- Imam number 1
- Imam number 2
Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS)
الإمام الحسن المجتبى
Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia
Shared shrine with Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq
- Imam number 3
- Imam number 4
Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin (AS)
الإمام علي زين العابدين (السجاد)
Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia
Shared shrine with Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq
- Imam number 5
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (AS)
الإمام محمد الباقر
Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia
Shared shrine with Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba, Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin, Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq
- Imam number 6
Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (AS)
الإمام جعفر الصادق
Jannat al-Baqi, Medina, Saudi Arabia
Shared shrine with Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba, Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin, Imam Muhammad al-Baqir
Imam number 7Imam Musa al-Kadhim (AS)
الإمام موسى بن جعفر الكاظم
al-Kadhimiya, Baghdad, Iraq
Shared shrine with Imam Muhammad al-Jawad
Imam number 8- Imam number 9
Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (AS)
الإمام محمد الجواد
al-Kadhimiya, Baghdad, Iraq
Shared shrine with Imam Musa al-Kadhim
Imam number 10Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS)
الإمام علي الهادي
al-Askari Shrine, Samarra, Iraq
Shared shrine with Imam Hasan al-Askari
- Imam number 11
Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS)
الإمام الحسن العسكري
al-Askari Shrine, Samarra, Iraq
Shared shrine with Imam Ali al-Hadi
- Imam number 12
Other Sacred Places & Ziyarat
See all placesShrine · Karbala
Shrine of al-Abbas (AS)
The shrine of al-Abbas ibn Ali (AS), Imam Hussain’s (AS) brother and standard-bearer at Karbala, facing Imam Hussain’s shrine across Bayn al-Haramayn.
Full guide
Historic site · Karbala
Al-Mukhayyam (the Camp)
A site commemorating where the camp of Imam Hussain’s (AS) family is traditionally held to have stood before and during the events of Ashura.
Short guide
Historic site · Karbala
Tal al-Zainabiyya
A raised site traditionally associated with Lady Zaynab (AS), sister of Imam Hussain (AS), during the events of Ashura. Listed under “Key Landmarks” on the existing site.
Short guideCemetery · Najaf
Wadi al-Salam Cemetery
A very large historic cemetery in Najaf, close to the shrine of Imam Ali (AS), where many believers have chosen to be buried.
Short guide
Shrine · Najaf
Shrine of Kumayl ibn Ziyad
The resting place of Kumayl ibn Ziyad, a close companion of Imam Ali (AS) and Imam al-Hasan (AS), and the narrator of the supplication known as Dua Kumayl. He was killed on the orders of al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf around 82 AH. The shrine stands on the route between Kufa and Najaf.
Short guide
Mosque · Kufa
Great Mosque of Kufa
One of the oldest mosques in Islam, where Imam Ali (AS) led prayers and was fatally struck during the dawn prayer in Ramadan 40 AH.
Full guide
Featured guide
Shrine of Imam Hussain (AS)
The burial place of Imam Hussain (AS) in Karbala, and the heart of ziyarat for millions of visitors each year.
Holy sites map
Find your way around Karbala
- Shrine of Imam Hussain (AS)العتبة الحسينية
- Bayn al-Haramaynبين الحرمين
- Shrine of Al-Abbas (AS)العتبة العباسية
- Tal al-Zainabiyaالتل الزينبي
- Al-Mukhayam (the camp)المخيم الحسيني
Reported figures
Ziyarat in Numbers
Arbaeen 2026 · 1448 AH
≈ 20 million
reported visitors to Karbala
Arbaeen 2025 · 1447 AH
21.1 million
reported visitors to Karbala
Arbaeen 2025 · 1447 AH
Over 4.1 million
foreign pilgrims from 140 countries
These figures come from different counting bodies using different methods. They describe separate things, so please do not add them together or read one as a share of another.
How these figures are counted, with sourcesCities
All holy sitesKarbala
كربلاءIraq
The city where Imam Hussain (AS) and his companions were killed in 61 AH (680 CE), and where his shrine and the shrine of his brother al-Abbas (AS) stand today.
4 sites in this guide
Najaf
النجفIraq
The city of the shrine of Imam Ali (AS), cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet (s), and a long-standing centre of Shia scholarship.
2 sites in this guide
Kufa
الكوفةIraq
Close to Najaf, Kufa was Imam Ali’s (AS) capital. Its Great Mosque, and the shrine of Muslim ibn Aqil, are closely tied to the events leading to Karbala.
6 sites in this guide
Samarra
سامراءIraq
A city on the Tigris north of Baghdad, where the tenth and eleventh Imams lived and are buried, and which Twelver Shia tradition associates with the occultation of Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf).
2 sites in this guide
Baghdad (Kadhimiya)
بغداد (الكاظمية)Iraq
Kadhimiya, in the north of Baghdad, grew around the shrine of the seventh and ninth Imams, Imam Musa al-Kadhim (AS) and Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (AS).
1 site in this guide
Medina
المدينة المنورةSaudi Arabia
The city of the Prophet Muhammad (s). Four of the Twelve Imams are buried in its historic cemetery, Jannat al-Baqi.
1 site in this guide
Mashhad
مشهدIran
A city in north-eastern Iran that grew around the shrine of Imam Ali al-Rida (AS), the eighth Imam.
1 site in this guide
Each page separates history, tradition, reflection and practical advice, and lists its sources. How we source content
Duas & Ziyarat — Read, Understand and Reflect
السلام عليك يا أبا عبد الله
Greeting to Imam Hussain (AS)
Opening lines only
Two selected lines from Ziyarat Ashura greeting Imam Hussain (AS) by his kunya, Abu Abdillah.
Read & Understand: Greeting to Imam Hussain (AS)زيارة وارث
Ziyarat Warith
Complete Arabic text
A ziyarat of Imam Hussain (AS), named after its opening greetings to him as the inheritor (wārith) of Adam, Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa and the Prophet Muhammad (s).
Read & Understand: Ziyarat Warithزيارة عاشوراء
Ziyarat Ashura
Complete Arabic text
A widely recited ziyarat of Imam Hussain (AS), recited both at the shrine and from afar.
Read & Understand: Ziyarat Ashura
From the Ziyarat Journal
Wider reading on preparation, history and reflection.
Pilgrimage Preparation
First Time Visiting Karbala? What to Expect and How to Prepare
Planning your first Karbala ziyarat? Learn what to wear, pack and recite, what to expect at the shrines, and how to prepare for a meaningful visit.
Read Article: First Time Visiting Karbala? What to Expect and How to PreparePilgrimage Preparation · Sacred Places & History
Visiting Karbala: A Journey of Love to Imam Hussain (AS) and the Holy Sites
The shrines of Imam Hussain (AS) and al-Abbas (AS), Bayn al-Haramayn, what to recite and a plan to download.
Read Article: Visiting Karbala: A Journey of Love to Imam Hussain (AS) and the Holy SitesPilgrimage Preparation · Sacred Places & History
Arbaeen Pilgrimage
The walk to Karbala forty days after Ashura: what it marks and what visitors should expect.
Read Article: Arbaeen Pilgrimage