Chronology of Imam Hussain's Shrine at Karbala
AH | CE | Events |
61 | 1 Oct 680 | Imam Hussain (A) was buried at this sacred spot. |
65 | 18 Aug 684 | Mukhtar ibn Abu Obaidah Thaqafi built an enclosure around the grave, in the form of a mosque and erected a dome over the grave. There were two entrances to this building. |
132 | 12 Aug 749 | A roof was built over a part of this mosque and two entrances were added during the reign of as-Saffah. |
140 | 31 Mar 763 | The roof was demolished during the reign of al-Mansur. |
158 | 11 Nov 774 | During the reign of Mahdi the roof was reconstructed. |
171 | 22 Jun 787 | During the reign of Al-Rashid the dome and the roof were demolished and the plum tree which stood near the grave was cut down. |
193 | 25 Oct 808 | During the reign of Amin the building was reconstructed. |
236 | 15 Jul 850 | Mutawakkil demolished the buildings and ordered that the land should be ploughed. |
247 | 17 Mar 861 | Muntasir built a roof over the grave and set up an iron pillar near it, to serve as a landmark for the pilgrims. |
273 | 8 Jun 886 | The roof was demolished again. |
280 | 23 Mar 893 | The Alid representative built a dome in the centre, with two roofs, on either side and an enclosure with two entrances. |
307 | 19 Aug 977 | Adzd ibn Boweih rebuilt the dome, the surrounding galleries and constructed a screen of teak wood around the sepulchre. He also constructed houses all round the shrine and erected the boundary wall of the city. At the same time Imran ibn Shahin built a mosque adjacent to the tomb. |
407 | 10 Jun 1016 | The buildings were damaged by fire and the Vizier, Al-Hasan ibn al Fadi rebuilt them. |
620 | 4 Feb 1223 | Nasir le-din-Illah reconstructed the screens of the sepulchre. |
757 | 18 Sep 1365 | Sultan Owais ibn Hasan Jalairi remodelled the dome and raised the walls of the enclosure. |
780 | 24 Feb 1384 | Ahmad ibn Owais erected two minarets covered with gold and extended the courtyard. |
920 | 26 Feb 1514 | When Shah Ismail Safawi visited the holy shrine he built a sacrophagus of the inlaid work over the grave. |
1032 | 5 Nov 1622 | Shah Abbas Safavi constructed the screens (darih) of brass and bronze and decorated the dome with Kashi tiles. |
1048 | 15 May 1638 | Sultan Murad IV, when he visited the holy shrine, whitewashed the dome. |
1155 | 8 Mar 1742 | Nadir Shah visited the holy shrine and decorated the building and offered valuable presents to the treasury of the shrine. |
1211 | 7 Jul 1796 | Shah Muhammad Qachar covered the dome of the shrine with gold. |
1216 | 14 May 1801 | Wahhabis attacked Kerbala, spoiled the screens and portico and looted the shrine. |
1232 | 21 Nov 1817 | Fateh Ali Shah Qachar repaired the screens and plated them with silver. He also plated the centre of the main portico with gold and repaired the damage done by the Wahhabi robbers. |
1283 | 16 May 1866 | Nasiruddin Shah Qachar extended the courtyard of the shrine. |
1358 | 21 Feb 1939 | Dr. Syedna Taher Saifud-din, 51st Dai-el-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra community offered a set of screens of solid silver which are fixed in the shrine. |
1360 | 29 Jan 1941 | Dr. Syedna Taher Saifud-din, 5lst Dai-el-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra community rebuilt the western minaret. |
1367 | 20 Dec 1948 | Syed Abdul Rasul Khalsi, Administrator of Karbala acquired the houses in the neighbourhood of the courtyard according to the price fixed by the government, to build a road around the holy mausoleum and to extend the courtyard. |
Courtesy: Sajjad Raza, Karachi