Historian says 17 kings, princes and rulers buried in Karbala

KARBALA, Iraq — Karbala, long regarded as one of Shia Islam's holiest cities for housing the shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas, is also the burial place of about 17 kings, princes and rulers from India, Kashmir, Pakistan and Iran, historian and researcher Saeed Reshid Zemizem said. Speaking about the city's centuries-old tradition of laying the dead to rest in sacred grounds, Zemizem said the rulers were buried in Karbala because of its spiritual standing among Muslims. Zemizem said Karbala has hosted the funerals of hundreds of religious, scholarly and literary figures over the centuries, including Sheikh Yusuf Bahrani, Wahid Behbahani and Muhammad Taqi. Some historical figures were brought to Karbala from other cities, he said, naming Sharif al-Radi and Sharif al-Murtada among those transported there in different periods. The historian noted that the areas surrounding the Husseiniya and Abbasaiya shrines have served as resting places for rulers, scholars and preachers, turning Karbala into a center of learning and culture as well as pilgrimage. He added that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was also buried in Najaf and Karbala following ceremonies held in both cities.