Shia mourning for Imam Hussain in all over Iran as a traditional and religious theme

Battle of Karbala (Brooklyn Museum)

By: Pooneh Nedai
Publisher, Shokran & Amrood

Tehran: These days big mourning ceremonies for Imam Hussein are being held all over Iran.

The anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), at the Battle of Karbala, is publicly commemorated by Shias through emotional marches, rallies and speeches.

Religious and mostly traditional people put on black dresses and participate in the ceremonies that are rooted in the history of Iran. Each city has its own tradition.

Details about these ceremonies and their background can be found through a simple search on the Internet.

But searching in the field of art, there are several precious artworks related to this historical event.

More could be found from a Qajar painting which is kept in Brooklyn Museum.

According to Abbas Musavi, this painting commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein , the grandson of Prophet Mohammad and the third imam, or leader, of the Shia Muslims.

Hussein was killed by the forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid I (r. 680–683) in the desert of Karbala in central Iraq in 680. This battle emphasizes the divide between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam. Hussein led a resistance against what the Shia Muslims believed was the Umayyads’ illegitimate rule. The focus of this painting is Hussein’s half brother, Abbas, mounted on a white horse as he stabs a member of Yazid’s army.

Individual episodes related to the agonies suffered by Hussein and his companions leading up to and during the battle are illustrated in smaller-scale vignettes on the left.