It is the capital of Karbala Province . Karbala ( ; BGN : Al-Karbal Ä â ; also referred to as KarbalÄ ' al-Muqaddasah ) is a city in Iraq , located about southwest of Baghdad at 32.61 Â N , 44.08 Â E. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate , and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ( 2003 ) .