The holy city of Karbala was considered as one of the cities of great significance due to its important religious position. Since the end of the Mamluk era in Iraq (1749 – 1831 AD), the city of Karbala had enjoyed a local administration headed by the head of the supervisory board, the custodian of the holy shrine of Imam Al-Hussein "pbuh", and a ruler appointed by the Mamluk governor of Baghdad.
The political life of the city was shaped by balance. The center of political weight was moving between the head supervisory board and the custodian of the holy shrine, while the representative of the Ottoman governor was often nominal position.
The Ottoman authorities in the city of Baghdad has worked during the reign of the governor of Baghdad in (1842-1848), "Muhammad Najib Pasha" to consolidate the direct central authority of the Ottoman government in Iraq, beside following the method of linking the Iraqi cities with the city of Baghdad administratively. So Muhammad Pasha was able to directly subject the city of Karbala to his government through military operations in 1842 AD.
Among the actions he took regarding the city of Karbala was the appointment of an administrative apparatus for the judiciary in (1843) and linking the city administration to Baghdad Central District, as well as the inclusion of local governor "Mohammed Sadiq Bek" and a number of staff to the same district.
It is worth mentioning that the holy city of Karbala was named in the agenda of the Ottoman state in 1849, as an administrative district that connects to the Baghdad district and the city of Shahrazur.
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Source:
The Comprehensive Civilizational Encyclopedia of Karbala: by the Documentary Section Vol. 1.
