Maqam Sahib al-Zaman

Maqam Sahib al-Zaman is a revered station in Karbala associated with the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, located on the left bank of the Hussayniya River at the northern entrance to Karbala in the Bab al-Salamah area, about 650 meters north of the shrine of Imam al-Husayn. Tradition holds that Imam al-Mahdi prayed at this spot before continuing on to perform ziyarat of his grandfather, Imam al-Husayn -- hence its name and sanctity. It is considered one of the key sites of the Ziyarat of Sha'ban, among the most significant ziyarat associated with Karbala. The maqam is elaborately decorated each year by the al-Abbas's Holy Shrine's Maqam Department to mark the 15th of Sha'ban, the birth anniversary of Imam al-Mahdi, with banners, hadiths on his birth and the establishment of a state of justice, and illuminated displays across its dome, halls and approach roads.