The Right Hand of al-Abbas Site

This is the location which marks where the right hand of Abbas ibn Imam Ali, peace be upon them both, was severed on the day of Ashura.

On Ashura, when the thirst for water bore heavily upon the family of Imam Hussain, al-Abbas rode to the River of Alqamee, on horse back, with the intention of bringing water back to his family. As he returned to the tents of Imam Hussain, carrying a full water skin, one of the soldiers of Umar B. Sa’ad, who was hiding behind a palm tree because he feared from the might and strength of al-Abbas, made a cowardly attack and struck the right hand of Abbas with a his sword severing it. Thus, this place marks the exact location where the sacred right hand of al-Abbas fell to the ground.

The site is now marked by a dome which stands northeast of the holy shrine of al-Abbas.