5,500 donums to be planted with wheat, barley in Karbala

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: The plants protection unit in Karbala has completed all preparations for a plan to plant a total of 5,500 donums of land with wheat and barley this winter, a local official said on Sunday. “A large amount of wheat and barley seeds have been provided,” Ahmed Abd Zayd told IraqiNews.com. “A significant amount of insecticides will be freely distributed to farmers and peasants,” he added. 1 donum = 2,500 square meters. Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims’ holiest cities. The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq’s wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. It is made up of two districts, “Old Karbala,” the religious centre, and “New Karbala,” the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings. At the centre of the old city is Masjid al-Hussein, the tomb of Hussein Ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima al-Zahraa and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Imam Hussein’s tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many Shiite Muslims, especially on the anniversary of the battle, the Day of Ashuraa. Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death, as they believe the tomb to be one of the gates to paradise. On April 14, 2007, a car bomb exploded about 600 ft (200 m) from the shrine, killing 47 and wounding over 150. SS (S)/SR 1