As late as 10pm last night pilgrims were still streaming into the holy Iraqi city of Karbala on the eve of the 10th day of the month of Muharram known as Ashura.
Very few will sleep, instead praying through the night, reciting the Qu’ran and trying to imagine how the Prophet’s grandson felt during this long night when Karbala was no more than a desert plain some 1324 years ago.
It was on 9 Muharram 61AH/680CE that Imam Husayn and a small band of followers prayed through the night awaiting certain death from the 10,000 soldiers sent to slaughter them.
The massacre at Karbala holds a special place in the hearts of Shi’a
and every year they commemorate the sacrifice made by their "Prince
of Martyrs" and celebrate his refusal to bow down to oppression.
This year has special meaning to many who, for the first time in nearly 30 years, are able to spend Ashura in Karbala, a practice banned under Saddam Hussein where public commemorations meant death or imprisonment.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians have travelled unrestricted across a border previously closed to them and in Iraq where Shi’a Muslims make up 60% of the population citizens have trekked across the country to be there.
Shi'a Pilgrims running to Karbala and chanting to Husayn
After they clear the multiple checkpoints set up around the city,
the pilgrims head straight for Old Karbala which houses the Shrines
of Husayn and his brother, 'Abbas.
Despite the enormous crowd the mood is calm and very emotional. It
was here that the mutilated bodies of the brothers were brought by
local tribes people and buried. Husayn’s sister and other survivors
also visited Karbala 40 days after the battle to reunite his poor
body with his severed head.
Acutely aware of the history of this ancient place, many pilgrims are overwhelmed by their first sight of the indigo and sky-blue mosaics, the gilded minarets and the mosque's magnificent, onion-shaped golden dome.
Many weep and kneel in prayer amazed they have finally reached this hallowed ground that most have dreamt of seeing their whole lives.
Around them the devout openly mourn, pound drums, beat their chests,
lash themselves and chant, "Forgive us Husayn! Forgive us!"
A Polish Soldier mans a security checkpoint
Processions pass by, some hold aloft mock coffins, some lead white horses, representing Husayn’s faithful stead that carried news of his death to his camp.
Despite the throng of people, security is tight, there are more than
10,000 police patrolling the streets of Karbala and cars are not allowed
downtown after a series of car bomb attacks last year. Anyone within
a 20-block radius of the holy sites is searched.
After evening prayers many settle in for the night, families set up tents on the streets or rest on thin strips of cardboard but most will not sleep, they will sit up and think about Husayn and how he must have felt on this night, in this place.
The air fills with the sound of prayer, quiet weeping and for many a heavy sense of destiny.
View a slideshow of the pilgrims
journey on the road from Baghdad to Karbala.
