Dana Smillie

themes: faith

Shia men flagellate themselves during a procession to the Hussein Shrine in Karbala on the ninth day of Ashura. The ritual is an important symbol of the Ashura commemorations as pilgrims want to emulate the suffering of the martyred Imam Hussein.
Karbala, Iraq
Shia men flagellate themselves during a procession to the Hussein Shrine in Karbala on the ninth day of Ashura. The ritual is an important symbol of the Ashura commemorations as pilgrims want to emulate the suffering of the martyred Imam Hussein.