Wahhabi sack of Karbala

Wahhabi sack of Karbala
The shrine of Husayn ibn Ali, Karbala in 1889
Wahhabi sack of Karbala is located in Iraq
Karbala
Karbala
Wahhabi sack of Karbala (Iraq)
LocationKarbala, Ottoman Empire
DateApril 21, 1802 (1802-04-21) (or 1801)[1]
TargetThe shrine of Husayn ibn Ali
Attack type
Land army attack
Deaths2,000[2]: 74 –5,000[3]
VictimsShia inhabitants of Karbala
PerpetratorEmirate of Diriyah
AssailantsWahhabis of Najd led by Saud bin Abdulaziz
No. of participants
12,000 soldiers[4]

The Wahhabi sack of Karbala occurred on 21 April 1802 (1216 H), under the rule of Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Saud, the second ruler of the Emirate of Diriyah. Approximately 12,000 Wahhabis from Najd attacked the city of Karbala.[5]: 387  The raid was conducted in retaliation against attacks on Hajj caravans by Iraqi tribes[6] and coincided with the anniversary of Ghadir Khumm.[3][2]: 74 

The Wahhabis killed between 2,000[2]: 74 and 5,000[3] of the inhabitants and plundered the tomb of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and son of Ali ibn Abi Talib,[2]: 74  and destroyed its dome, seizing a large quantity of spoils, including gold, Persian carpets, money, pearls, and guns that had accumulated in the tomb, most of them donations. The attack lasted for eight hours, after which the Wahhabis left the city with more than 4,000 camels carrying their plunder.[4]

  1. ^ "The Saud Family and Wahhabi Islam, 1500–1818". au.af.mil. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Khatab, Sayed (2011). Understanding Islamic Fundamentalism: The Theological and Ideological Basis of Al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9789774164996.
  3. ^ a b c Litvak, Meir (2010). "Karbala". Iranica Online.
  4. ^ a b Vassiliev, Alexei (September 2013). The History of Saudi Arabia. Saqi. ISBN 9780863567797.
  5. ^ Martin, Richard C. (2003). Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim world ([Online-Ausg.]. ed.). New York: Macmillan Reference USA. ISBN 0-02-865603-2. OCLC 52178942.
  6. ^ Ahmed, Qeyamuddin (2020). "1: Genesis of the Wahhabi Movement in India". The Wahhabi Movement in India (Second Revised ed.). 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN: Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-367-51483-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)