The kinetics of the hydrolysis of Alizarin dye (ALZ) in the basic medium is investigated for the purpose of wastewater treatment. ALZ represents a group of aromatic dyes, that are heavy, toxic, and non-biodegradable. The kinetics of the reaction was followed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and ab-initio computational methods. The effects of initial concentration, ionic strength, and temperature were studied. The kinetic salt effect (ionic strength) demonstrated that OH– is part of the rate-determining step of the reaction. Unlike common reactions, anti-Arrhenius behavior was observed within the temperature range of 25-50°C. Therefore, the apparent activation energy was determined to be -23.91 kcal/mol. Using theoretical quantum calculations, the reaction under study was investigated using the density functionals B3LYP and B97D3, and final energies were obtained using the 2nd order Møller−Plesset (MP2) theory. A complex reaction mechanism is suggested that involves the formation of an intermediate that combines the ALZ anion and water molecule attached by H-bonding. The mechanism accounted for the anti-Arrhenius behavior and the negative Ea. The standard reaction enthalpy (ΔH298) obtained using the B97D3 Grimme’s functional was within the range of the experimental Ea value.