Photos by Yaser Khadishi, ISNA

Photos presented here are from the Tasoua mourning ceremonies in the city of Kerman. Kerman is the center of Kerman province, one of the 30 provinces of Iran. Located in a large and flat plain, this city is located 1,076 km (669 mi) south of Tehran, capital of Iran. Kerman city had an estimated population of 533,799 in 2005. The province of Kerman is the second largest province in Iran, 180,836 km sqr with a population of about 2 million.

The Mourning of Muharram is an important period of mourning in the Shi'a branch of Islam, taking place in Muharram which is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is also called the Remembrance of Muharram. The event marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala when Imam Husayn ibn Ali, a grandson of Muhammad the founder of Islam, and a Shia Imam, was killed by the forces of the second Umayad caliph Yazid I. The mourning reaches its climax on the tenth day, known as Ashura, on which the forces of Yazid killed the 72 individuals who fought, including Husayn and his family and supporters.

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