Atlas of Battles

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Battle of Karbala

Battle of Karbala was a battle fought on 10 October AD 680 at Karbala, in what is now Iraq. It was part of Second Fitna, which ran from AD 680 to AD 692. The recorded result: Umayyad victory.

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Battle of Karbala
Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 October AD 680
WhereKarbala, Iraq32.615N, 44.031E
OutcomeUmayyad victory
BelligerentsUmayyad CaliphateagainstAlids
Part ofSecond FitnaAD 680 to AD 692

Where it sits in Second Fitna

Battle of Karbala, AD 680Battle of al-Harrah, AD 683Siege of Mecca, AD 683Battle of Marj al-Rahit, AD 684Battle of Ayn al-Warda, AD 684Battle of Khazir, AD 686Battle of Maskin, AD 691Siege of Mecca, AD 692AD 680AD 692Battle of Karbala, AD 680
8 placed engagements of Second Fitna in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 October AD 680
PlaceKarbala, Iraq
32.615N, 44.031E
KindBattle, medieval
Strength4,000–30,000
Commanders
  • Husayn ibn Ali
  • Abbas ibn Ali
  • Habib ibn Muzahir
  • Zuhayr ibn al-Qayn
Battle of KarbalaBattle of KarbalaFall of BabylonBattle of BursSiege of BabylonSiege of BabylonBattle of DamourBattle of BursBattle of DamourBaghdadNajafBaqubahAl FallujahAd DiwaniyahAl MusayyibMandali100 km32.615N, 44.031E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Battle of Karbala is one of 102 engagements of the 7th century in the atlas and one of 88 in present-day Iraq.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q626058, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Karbala, revision 1385691860, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.