Timeline
| Year | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| AH | CE | |
| 61 | 680 | October 10: Husayn is said to have been buried on this day. It was Bani Asad who, after the departure of Ahl al Bait, assembled at the grave of Imam Husayn. Historical accounts provide little light on the first builder of the Shrine. It is assumed that Bani Asad also the first, who erected a tent upon the grave of Imam Husayn. A Shaikh of Bani Asad lighted a candle at the grave of the Imam and planted a berry tree a few feet away from the side of the head of the grave, to indicate the grave of Husayn. |
| 65 | 684 | A mosque was built by Mukhtar ibn Abu `Ubayd ath-Thaqafi on the spot and a dome was created over the grave. Over the dome he fixed a green flag. Two entrance gates were made for the mosque. He also settled several families around the enclosure. |
| 132 | 749 | Another dome was erected over the mosque and additional two gates for entrance were made at the mausoleum during the reign of Abbasid Caliph as-Saffah. |
| 140 | 763 | During the reign of Caliph al-Mansur, the roof along with the domes were destroyed. |
| 158 | 774 | The demolished roof was rebuilt during the reign of Caliph al-Mahdi. |
| 171 | 787 | During the reign of Caliph Harun ar-Rashid, the mausoleum was destroyed and the Berry tree that stood besides the grave of Husayn was cut down. Even then people kept visiting the grave of Imam Husayn, guided by the traces of the ‘Tree of the Berry’, which covered the grave. Harun al-Rashid could not tolerate this, and ordered the tree to be totally cut off from the roots, with the intention to wipe out the sign of the grave of Husayn and stop the practice of visiting the grave. |
| 193 | 808 | The mausoleum was reconstructed during the reign of Caliph al-Amin. |
| 236 | 850 | Caliph al-Mutawakkil destroyed the mausoleum and ordered the nearby land, including the grave, to be ploughed. |
| 247 | 861 | Caliph al-Muntasir reconstructed the shrine with an iron pillar build a roof over the grave. Under instruction of Al Muntasir, new houses were built around the Shrines. |
| 273 | 886 | Once again the mausoleum was destroyed. |
| 280 | 893 | The shrine was rebuilt by the Alid council and two minarets were constructed on either side of the grave. Two entrance gates for the shrine were also constructed. |
| 307 | 977 | A sepulcher was constructed within the shrine using teak wood, by the Buwayhid emir ‘Adhud ad-Dawlah. Surrounding galleries were also constructed. He also constructed the city of Karbala by making houses and the city boundary. ‘Imrān ibn Shahin at that time also constructed a mosque adjacent to the shrine. |
| 407 | 1016 | Fire destroyed the shrine. The vizier Hasan ibn Fadl rebuilt the structure. |
| 620 | 1223 | The sepulcher was renovated by an-Nasir li-Din Allah. |
| 757 | 1365 | The dome and walls of the shrine were reconstructed by Sultan `Uways ibn Hasan Jalayiri. He also raised the walls of the enclosure. |
| 780 | 1384 | The two minarets were reconstructed of gold by Sultan Ahmad ibn `Uways. The courtyard was also extended. |
| 920 | 1514 | The Safavid shah of Iran Ismail I, constructed a sarcophagus of inlaid glass work over the real grave. |
| 1032 | 1622 | Abbas Shah Safavi renovated the sarcophagus with brass and bronze and also the dome with Kashi tiles. |
| 1048 | 1638 | Sultan Murad IV whitewashed the dome. |
| 1155 | 1742 | Nadir Shah Afshar decorated the shrine and offered expensive gems to the treasury of the shrine. |
| 1211 | 1796 | Aghā Muhammad Shāh Qājār plastered the dome with pure gold. He also decorated the Min’ar and gold plated it. |
| 1216 | 1801 | Wahhabis attacked Karbala, damaged the shrine, and looted the sepulchre. |
| 1232 | 1817 | Fat'h ‘Alī Shāh Qājār reconstructed the screens by plating with silver. He also replated the dome with gold and therefore repaired the damage caused by the Wahhabis. |
| 1283 | 1866 | Nāsir ad-Dīn Shāh Qājār broadened the courtyard of the mausoleum. |
| 1358 | 1939 | Dr. Syedna Taher Saifuddin, of the Dawoodi Bohra community presented a set of solid silver screens with gold which were attached to the shrine. This set is made of 500 gold coins (each coin consisted 12 grams weight) and 200 thousand coins of silver, beautified with precious gems. |
| 1360 | 1941 | The western minaret was rebuilt by Dr. Syedna Taher Saifuddin. He spent a huge amount generously for the purpose of gold plating all the Min’ar. From top to bottom, pure gold was installed. |
| 1367 | 1948 | A road was built around the shrine by the then administrator of Karbala City, Sayyid Abd al-Rasul al-Khalsi. He also broadened the courtyard of the shrine. |
| 1411 | 1991 | Major damage to the shrine occurs as the city experiences violent reprisals by the army of Saddam Hussein after an uprising against his regime following the Persian Gulf War. |
| 1415 | 1994 | Repairs to the shrine from the damage done in 1991 are finally completed. |
| 1425 | 2004 | March 2: At least 6 explosions occurred during the ‘Āshūrā' commemorations, killing 85 people and wounding 230. |
| 1425 | 2004 | December 15: A bomb detonated near the gate of the shrine, killing at least 7 people and injuring 31 others. |
| 1426 | 2006 | January 5: Suicide bombers among the crowd between the two shrines, killed at least 60 people and injured more than 100. |
| 1428 | 2007 | April 14: A suicide attack 200m from the shrine killed at least 36 people and injured more than 160 others. |
| 1428 | 2007 | December: Construction work began on building a roof over the courtyard of the mosque, with hopes of creating a second floor and expanding the mosque. |
| 1429 | 2008 | March 17: A female suicide bomber detonated herself in the market near the shrine, killing at least 42 people and injured 58 others. |
| 1429 | 2008 | September 11: A bomb was detonated 800m from the shrine, killing one woman and injuring 12 others. |
| 1430 | 2009 | February 12: A bomb blast killed 8 people and wounded more than 50 others during the commemoration of Arba‘een. |
| 1431 | 2010 | Attacks aimed at pilgrims attending the commemoration of Arba‘een: February 1: A female suicide bomber detonated herself, killing 54 people and injuring more than 100 others. February 3: A bomb blast killed at least 23 people and injured more than 147. February 5: A double bomb-blast, or a combination of a bomb-blast and mortar attack killed at least 42 people and left 150 injured. |
Read more about this topic: Imam Husayn Shrine