Thousands of Shia gather in Tehran to mark Muharram, the month of mourning

Thousands of Shia worshippers gathered Wednesday evening in Tehran's Revolution Square to mark the beginning of Muharram, the main mourning month in the Shia calendar. Over the coming days, leading up to Ashura, mass mourning ceremonies are expected across Iran commemorating Imam Hussein's death at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.

Thousands of Shia worshippers gathered Wednesday evening in Tehran's Revolution Square to mark the beginning of Muharram, the month of mourning in the Shia Islamic calendar. According to reports, mass ceremonies of lamentation will take place across Iran over the coming days, culminating on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, which commemorates the death of Imam Hussein — the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad — and his followers at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. Worshippers traditionally engage in chest-beating and, in some cases, flagellation with special chains as acts of mourning. The gathering is a routine annual religious event and does not appear to have a political dimension at this stage. No prior reporting on this thread from The Zioneer.

• Developing22:21 · 24 JunIran: massive Muharram mourning ceremony held in Tehran's Revolution Square
• Developing22:20 · 19 JunShiite 'Ashura Evenings' begin with self-flagellation gatherings across the region
• Developing22:12 · 23 JunShiite community in Manchester marks Muharram month
• Developing00:00 · 21 JunIranian mothers dress children as 'soldiers of Imam Hussein' for Muharram

Source and signal

A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.

• Open-source intake