Karbala Raises Black Flags as Iraq and Shia Communities Worldwide Mark Start of Muharram
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\nThe holy shrines of Imam Hussein and al-Abbas (peace be upon them both) in Karbala held their annual flag-changing ceremonies, marking the beginning of Muharram and the global Husseini mourning season.<\/p>\n
The annual ceremony to replace the flags above the domes of the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas, peace be upon them, was held on Tuesday night in the holy city of Karbala, coinciding with the first night of Muharram.<\/p>\n
Thousands of pilgrims from Iraq and abroad gathered hours before the ceremony to take part in the spiritual event, which was held after the Maghrib and Isha prayers. During the ceremony, servants of the Imam Hussein Holy Shrine blessed the black flag bearing the name of Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, before raising it above the holy dome.<\/p>\n
The red flag was lowered and replaced with the black flag of mourning as pilgrims chanted \u201cLabbayk Ya Hussein,\u201d marking the official start of the Muharram mourning season. <\/p>\n
At the same time, Karbala\u2019s Muharram security plan officially began. Under the plan, Interior Ministry and army forces are responsible for security inside the city and at its entrances, while popular forces are tasked with securing surrounding desert and agricultural areas. Local mourning processions in Karbala will continue through the first ten days of Muharram until after Sham-e-Ghariban. Hundreds of service mawkibs have also registered with the Imam Hussein Holy Shrine to serve pilgrims until Ashura.<\/p>\n
In Basra, mourners raised a black \u201cYa Hussein\u201d flag blessed by the Imam Hussein Holy Shrine above an 80-meter tower in the Khor al-Zubair area, creating one of the tallest mourning symbols in southern Iraq. The ceremony marked the beginning of wider religious programmes, mourning gatherings and service preparations across the province.<\/p>\n
In Najaf, the Imam Ali Holy Shrine announced comprehensive preparations for Muharram, including coordination with government, health and security bodies. More than 800 service and mourning mawkibs have been registered in the old city and surrounding neighborhoods. The shrine has prepared guest facilities, medical centers, emergency teams, cooling systems and media support services, while mourning gatherings are being held three times daily.<\/p>\n
The holy shrine of Imam Ali, peace be upon him, also raised the black flag of Husseini mourning, marking the official beginning of Najaf\u2019s Ashura commemorations.<\/p>\n
In Kadhimiya, the entrances and main routes leading to the holy city were draped in black. Religious servants and mourners installed condolence banners and dark flags to prepare the area for pilgrims and mourning processions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Karbala Raises Black Flags as Iraq and Shia Communities Worldwide Mark Start of Muharram ——————————————– The holy shrines of Imam Hussein and al-Abbas (peace be upon them both) in Karbala held their annual flag-changing ceremonies, marking the beginning of Muharram and the global Husseini mourning season. The annual ceremony to replace the flags above the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-atabat"],"yoast_head":"\n