Al-Abbas Holy Shrine

The mausoleum of Abbas ibn Ali, half-brother of Imams Hasan and Husayn, standing near the Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala, Iraq. Abbas served as Husayn's standard-bearer and the chief of his caravan at the Battle of Karbala, and is remembered above all for losing both arms while trying to bring water to his thirsty family before he was killed — a story that gives him the enduring title al-Saqqa, "the water-bearer." He is also known as Abu al-Fadl and Bab al-Hawa'ij, "the gate of needs," for pilgrims' belief that he readily grants what is asked of him. Over the centuries the shrine received gifts and renovations from Safavid, Ottoman, and Qajar rulers, and its gold-clad dome and twin gilded minarets remain among Karbala's most recognizable landmarks. As at the neighboring Husayn shrine, the shifting course of the Euphrates has brought the river to encircle Abbas's grave. The complex underwent extensive modern renovation from 2012 onward, including a new courtyard roof and expanded underground pilgrim access, and it has also been the target of repeated bombings during the sectarian violence of the 2000s.