Qatligah: Difference between revisions

'''Qatligāh''' (Sacrifice place) or '''Sacrifice Pit''' (Arabic:{{iarabic|المِنحَر}}, Persian:{{iarabic|قتلگاه}})  is the name of a place in [[Karbala]] where, according to sources, [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] was beheaded by [[Shimr]] or [[Sinan]]. This place is today in the [[Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a)]] near his [[darih]], visited by [[Shi'a]] and lovers of the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]].

[[File:ضریح گودال قتلگاه.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|The darih of Qatligah located in the shrine of Imam Husayn (a).]]

Qatligāh, or the Sacrifice Pit, is where [[Imam al-Husayn b. Ali (a)|Imam al-Husayn (a)]] attained [[martyrdom]].<ref>Āl Ṭuʿma, ''Karbalā wa ḥarām-hāyi Muṭahhar'', p. 116 and 162; Muḥaddithī, ''Farhang-i ʿĀshūrā'', p. 417.</ref> It was within these grounds that Imam al-Husayn's head was severed from his body, a brutal act by [[Shimr b. Dhi l-Jawshan]] or [[Sinan b. Anas al-Nakha'i]].<ref>Muḥaddithī, ''Farhang-i ʿĀshūrā'', p. 417.</ref> Qatligah was situated at a lower elevation than other parts of the [[Karbala]] battlefield,<ref>Muḥaddithī, ''Farhang-i ʿĀshūrā'', p. 417.</ref> thus earning its name as the pit of sacrifice or murder.<ref>Muṭahharī, ''Falsafa-yi Akhlāq,'' p. 133.</ref>

In the current architectural layout of the [[Holy Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a)|shrine]], Qatligah is positioned outside of Imam al-Husayn's [[darih]] in the southwestern section of the Portico of [[Habib b. Muzahir]]. It is distinguished by a silver gate and a window that opens towards the courtyard. The floor of Qatligah is adorned with light-colored marble stones, while its walls showcase intricate mirror work. Additionally, Qatligah encompasses a cellar (saradb) accessible through a silver door.<ref>Āl Ṭuʿma, ''Karbalā wa ḥarām-hāyi Muṭahhar'', p. 162; Qurayshī, ''Marqad-hā wa makān-hāyi zīyāratī-yi Karbalā'', p. 37.</ref> This cellar is considered the place where Imam (a) was [[martyr]]ed. There is a marble stone in that cellar, 50 cm above the ground, like a grave.<ref>Muḥaddithī, ''Farhang-i ʿĀshūrā'', p. 417.</ref>

Qatligah is also known as maqtal (place of murder), (Arabic: {{ia|مَقْتَل}})<ref>Āl Ṭuʿma, ''Karbalā wa ḥarām-hāyi Muṭahhar'', p. 162.</ref> mahall al-nahr (Arabic: {{ia|محل النَّحْر}}) or manhar (place of sacrifice), (Arabic: {{ia|مَنْحَر}}) or madhbah (place of slaughter) (Arabic: {{ia|مَذْبَح}}).<ref>[https://hawzah.net/fa/Magazine/View/6444/8159/107498/%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C-%22%D8%B9%22 Nabawī, Aḥmad. "Qatligāh-i Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī (a)".]</ref>

According to some researchers of history, there is a lack of evidence in credible early sources, as well as sources from the [[Safavid Dynasty|Safavid]] and Qajar periods, regarding the existence of the pit of Qatligah. The mention of Qatligah first emerged during the Pahlavi era when preachers recounted the tragic events surrounding Imam al-Husayn (a), subsequently gaining popularity among people.<ref>Group of authors. ''Tārīkh-i qīyām wa maqtal-i jāmiʿ-i Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ'', vol. 2, p. 559.</ref> However, some other scholars assert that the Sacrifice Pit does indeed possess a valid historical background, dismissing its association with the Pahlavi era.<ref>[https://hawzah.net/fa/Magazine/View/6444/8159/107498/%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%8C-%22%D8%B9%22 Nabawī, Aḥmad. "Qatligāh-i Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī (a)".]</ref>

Zayn al-Din al-Shaʿbani, a prominent Sufi figure during the thirteenth/nineteenth century, made a reference to the existence of Qatligah in the eighth/fourteenth century.<ref>Shīrwānī, ''Riyāḍ al-siyāḥa'', p. 583.</ref> The editor of the book Bughyat al-nubalaʾ fi tarikh karbala suggests that Qatligah mentioned in the book actually pertains to the cellar (sardab).<ref>Āl Ṭuʿma, ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn Kilīdār. ''Bughyat al-nubalā'', p. 18.</ref> Furthermore, in his travelogue dated 1287/1870-1, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar described Qatligah as a deep pit equipped with multiple stairs.<ref>Naṣīr al-Dīn Shāh Qājār. ''Shahrīyār-i jādda-ha'', p. 116.</ref>

According to some scholars, it is believed that the term "pit of Qatligah" was first introduced by Sipihr al-Kashani, the author of [[Nasikh al-tawarikh (book)|''Nasikh al-tawarikh'']] during the Qajar period. Before his time, there is no record of this term being used in historical or hadith sources.<ref>Rafʿat, "Nigāhī intiqādī bi maḥall-i shahādat-i Imām Ḥusayn; taḥlīl-i pindāra-yi Gawdāl-i Qatligāh", p. 58.</ref>

[[File:تابلوی عرش بر زمین.png|250px|thumbnail|right|The Painting “The Throne on the Earth” by [[Mahmoud Farshchian]].]]

The artwork titled "The Throne on the Earth" by [[Mahmoud Farshchian]] depicts the poignant moment of [[Lady Zaynab (a)]] bidding farewell to the body of [[Imam al-Husayn b. Ali (a)|Imam al-Husayn (a)]] within the pit of Qatligah. Created in the miniature style, the painting measures 123*80 cm and was completed in 1396/2017. It was subsequently donated to the museum of Astan Quds Razavi ([[Imam al-Rida]]'s shrine). Notably, the painting focuses on Imam al-Husayn's legs, while his body is subtly implied to be concealed behind a mound of soil. At the center of the artwork, a bloodstained flag is depicted as fallen on the ground, while [[angels]] join Lady Zaynab (a) in mourning.<ref>[https://museum.razavi.ir/fa/57162/%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%88-%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%B2%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86-%DA%AF%D9%88%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87 "The Throne on the Earth" painting (killing pit). (Persian)].</ref>

* Āl Ṭuʿma, Salmān Hādī. ''Karbalā wa ḥarām-hāyi Muṭahhar''. Tehran: Mashʿar, 1378 Sh.

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