It is evident that agriculture has basic requirements to flourish such as the fertile soil and the abundance of water, which the holy city of Karbala has abundance of both.
Karbala was characterized by the availability of pure waters due to the presence of streams and tributaries branching from the Euphrates River and their regular distribution on its areas, therefore, the value of those areas was subsequently raised, as famous judge and traveler "Noor Allah Al-Shushtari" described them during his visit to the city in the late tenth Hijri century corresponding to the sixteenth Gregorian century, as "The land of Karbala is one of the greatest regions and a hub for news from all over the world. The fresh water flowing in its trenches, and rich orchards surround it."
In addition, the traveler "Tikhira" pointed out in his observations in Karbala, the abundance of materials that people need in their daily life, including food and clothing, explaining that "The final resting place of Imam Al-Hussein (Karbala) is a town containing four thousand houses. It is characterized by the availability of livelihoods, cheapness, and the convenience of food and grains such as wheat, rice, barley, fruits, vegetables, and meat in abundance, due to the freshness of the air more than in all the places mentioned before."
"In Karbala, I found a number of public wells containing very fresh water, many trees, and some European fruits (as he said), and the lands were irrigated from a certain stream branching from the Euphrates, which is eight leagues away from the town," he stated.
"Tikhira" added, "There was also a large number of sheep and cattle that I saw grazing in the pastures surrounding the town, and at the end of it on the Euphrates side, there were two large, square-shaped ponds built for picnics and entertainment, and around them some buildings and makeshift shelters."
Source:
Mawsueat Karbala Al-Hadharia "Karbala Civilizational Encyclopedia".
A publication of Karbala Center for Studies and Research
The Historical Axis, Department of Modern and Contemporary History.
[Vol. 3, Pg. 268-270].
