How is the Battle of Karbala remembered and why is it important in Islamic history?

The Battle of Karbala, a brief military engagement, is remembered by Shiʿi Muslims as a day of public mourning on Ashura (the 10th of Muharram). They commemorate the massacre of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and his followers by the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazīd I.

The battle is important because it helped solidify the Umayyad dynasty’s rule. Ḥusayn’s tomb in Karbala is one of Shiʿi Islam’s holiest sites and a major pilgrimage center. Some Shiʿi Muslims perform dramas and self-flagellation on Ashura to commemorate the events of Karbala.