A pilgrim performs matam illustrating
his grief at the matrydom of Husayn
When news broke of the horrific attacks in Karbala, the shock was not reduced by the fact that Iraqis have become accustomed to sudden violence. It was expected that terrorists would try to attack Shi'a Muslims during the first free Muharram since the fall Saddam Hussein, but the callous assault on the day of Ashura itself, when the crowds would be heaviest, was a bitter blow.
Two million pilgrims were packed into Karbala, four times the usual population of the holy city. Among the crowds were pilgrims filmed for Channel 4's 90-minute documentary, Karbala - City of Martyrs.
In the days leading up to Ashura, the atmosphere was peaceful as the numbers performing their ziarat, their visitation, were welcomed on the crowded the streets, the hotels and in the shrines. They had all come despite the instability and unpredictable violence which blights the whole of Iraq.
110 people were killed in the attacks and injured survivors will carry the scars for the rest of their lives. In the aftermath, there were anxious phone calls - were the pilgrims safe, was the Channel 4 team safe? Shi'a history, informed by the example of Imam Hussain, was immediately visible in the courageous responses of survivors. As one pilgrim commented - "every day is Ashura, and everywhere is Karbala".
Within minutes, camera crews were taking their lives in their hands to carry on recording this momentous day which, despite the work of the terrorists, heralds a new era for Shi'a Muslims.
Karbala - City of Martyrs the story of this historic Ashura and of the pilgrims who travelled to Karbala from Britain aired on Channel 4 on April 12, 2004.
