Millions of zaireen every year visit Karbala. Karbala is the small city in the heart of Iraq. It is also considered as one of the oldest cities in the books of history. There are many aspects of Karbala in a religious point of view. Many Prophets visited the land of Karbala in their time and even Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAWW had a deep connection with this land. Prophet Muhammad SAWW always loved his grandsons, Imam Hassan, as and Imam Hussain as. And for Imam Hussain, as he claimed that, “Hussain as is from Me, and I am from Hussain as”.
At the time of the birth of Imam Hussain as, Hazrat Jibrail came to Holy Prophet saww and tell him how his grandson i.e. Imam Hussain as would be martyred on the land of Karbala. After 50 years of the death of the Holy Prophet saww, Yazid (la) came in power. Yazid asked Imam Hussain as for his pledge but He rejected. He left Medina and went to Karbala where the armies of Yazid and family & companions Imam Hussain as faced each other resulting the war and martyrdom of Imam Hussain(as) and his companions. Today lovers of Imam Hussain as visit Karbala and expresses the grief and mourn over his death.
Visiting Karbala is like a dream for everyone. Many people visit Karbala every year. There are many things you need to know while visiting Karbala especially if you are visiting in the days of Ashura and Arbaeen. These both events have a maximum present of people from all around the world. In this article, we will be guiding you all what you should know before visiting Karbala in the days of Ashura and Arbaeen, and in normal days as well. Karbala ziyarat guide will help you to make your journey easy.
Tickets & Visa for Iraq
The first thing you need is, tickets and visa. You can directly contact the embassy of Iraq which is present in Islamabad as well as in Karachi. Ticket can be purchased from the airline offices including Iraqi Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates and many more. And if you want to save your time you may contact any traveling agency which has been working in this sector. For Iraq, it is recommended to travel in the group. Many travel agencies like Al Sahlah Travel and Tours take groups to Iraq on every occasion.
Currency Exchange
Traveling to another country, you will need there currency notes of that country. The official currency of Iraq is Iraqi Dinar. You can get amount exchange from any money exchange here in Pakistan as well as in Iraq. The current rate in today’s date (August-2019) of Iraqi Dinar according to Pakistani rupees is 7.3. This means converting 100 Pakistani Rupees, you will get 730 Iraqi dinars. But most of the people recommend taking US dollars with them. Many hotels accept dollars and you can get more than 1 Lac Iraqi Dinars for just 100 Dollars.
Weather
The temperature of Karbala is really hot in summer and cold in winter. You need to pack your clothes according to temperature over there. The average temperature in summers is 42°C and in winters the temperature decreases as low as 6°C.
Arbaeen Walk (Mishi)
If you are traveling to Iraq in days of arbaeen it is understood that you will be walking from Najaf to Karbala performing Mishi. It is recommended to carry only important gadgets in luggage. Extra luggage can create hurdles in the journey as you have to walk for more than 80 kilometers. This distance is covered in 3 days approx.
Religious/Dua Books
From the religious point of view, you will be needing religious guidance before visiting the holy spots in Karbala as well as in Najaf and Kazmain. The groups always takes their personal religious guide every time and it’s really convenient. He will be taking you to every place and will guide duas and sala’ats which has to offer. Keeping the dua book normally like Zaad’e Raah is always useful.
This journey is a dream for many people. When you have travelled once you will be ready to travel every year. The emotional attachment with land of Karbala is ideal. The journey to Karbala is among the ways of expressing love for Imam Hussain as and his companions. Karbala Ziyarat Guide will help the visitors to make themselves ready for the ziarat of Imam Hussain as. It will help to plan them inaccurate way so that their journey will become easy and memorable.
