The Holy Karbala Governorate is located in the Middle Euphrates region, southwest of the capital, Baghdad, at a distance of 105 km from it. It is boarded to the north and west by Anbar Governorate, to the south by Najaf Governorate, and to the northeast and east by Babel Governorate. It consists of three main districts: Karbala District, Hindiya District, and Ain Al-Tamr District. Karbala's climate is hot in summer and relatively cold in winter. It is surrounded by palm orchards and fruit trees. It is watered by the Al-Husayniyah River branching from the Euphrates River, which was ordered by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent during his visit to the holy city of Karbala in 1550 AD, where the length of the river is 29 km.

White Bridge

The White bridge was built on the Al-Husayniyah River in the Husayniyah district, east of the holy city of Karbala, to connect the two banks of the aforementioned river. The bridge was built of plaster and bricks, and its length is (46) m. It begins with the runway from the side of the main street, and it is (11) m wide, then takes gradually to reach a width of (5) m at the top end of the bridge and then returns to the expansion on the second side of the bridge. The arch consists of a pointed arch surrounded by (4) eight-shaped beacons attached to its end on each side. Each beacon has a height of (4.25) m and a diameter of (1.2) m. It ends in a conical, lobed shape with (13) convex parts.

The structure was unique in some positive and constructive way;

The white bridge is like a port for transporting goods: For a long time, the white bridge was the water gate of Karbala, where the transport of goods was carried out through it to reach another bridge called Umm Hudayba near the door of Baghdad, meaning that it was more like a port for transporting goods to and from the city. - The white bridge is a cultural and historical heritage: The white bridge is considered one of the historical monuments in the holy city of Karbala, which has not been eroded with the passage of time. It was established more than 450 years ago during the time of Ottoman rule in Iraq. It is still serving and standing on the river, represented by a brick bridge with one gate and two minarets on each side. It was also called the Imam Ali Bridge (The Fourth Rashidun Caliph of Muslims), where history wrote that during the construction of the bridges over the Husayniyah River, attention was focused on the current site of the bridge due to the presence of a sacred relic next to it, which is the place of prayer of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) when he passed through Karbala while heading to the Historic Battle of Siffin.

The structure bears the stamp of a cultural tradition or a civilization of past;

The white bridge is like a port for transporting goods: For a long time, the white bridge was the water gate of Karbala, where the transport of goods was carried out through it to reach another bridge called Umm Hudayba near the door of Baghdad, meaning that it was more like a port for transporting goods to and from the city. - The white bridge is a cultural and historical heritage: The white bridge is considered one of the historical monuments in the holy city of Karbala, which has not been eroded with the passage of time. It was established more than 450 years ago during the time of Ottoman rule in Iraq. It is still serving and standing on the river, represented by a brick bridge with one gate and two minarets on each side. It was also called the Imam Ali Bridge (The Fourth Rashidun Caliph of Muslims), where history wrote that during the construction of the bridges over the Husayniyah River, attention was focused on the current site of the bridge due to the presence of a sacred relic next to it, which is the place of prayer of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) when he passed through Karbala while heading to the Historic Battle of Siffin.

Present State of Conservation

One of the most important factors that led to the structure's survival in good condition and its continuity of work so far, despite the passage of more than 450 years since its establishment, is the periodic maintenance of the structure. Maintenance work was carried out for the white bridge by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities at the end of 2020. According to the old specifications and the old building materials that were used in the construction of the white bridge, where the bricks were used in the construction, and the technical plaster as a binding material, and the implementation by construction workers specialized in ancient buildings.