The ear-splitting drum reverberates as rhythmic poems and chants are recited to venerate the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein.
Teenagers, in matching black shirts and white caps, stand in lines, shouting back rhymes and flogging themselves with chains in unison.
Others gather around them, swaying to the rhythm and slamming their chests with their fists.
It is one of the key centuries-old rituals during the annual solemn mourning period for millions of Shiite Muslims in Iraq and beyond that is usually performed in streets and around revered shrines.
But this year it is taking place in the cavernous, marbled entrance hall of Baghdad's parliament building, the setting that Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr has chosen for the latest bout of the country’s prolonged political stalemate over forming a new government.
In 680, Imam Hussein had revolted against the Damascus-based second Umayyad caliph, Yazid Ibn Muawiyah, moving from Madinah to outside Karbala in modern day Iraq, where a battle took place.
To quell the revolt, Yazid sent an army that slaughtered Imam Hussein and most of his family in an area called Al Taf.
His death was a defining moment in Islamic history and its commemoration has become the most impassioned event for Shiite Muslims around the world.
In Iraq and beyond, millions of Shia Muslims observe with different rituals the death anniversary that falls on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, known as Ashura in Arabic, as well as the 40th day of his death in the following month of Safar.
Muharram started on Sunday in Iraq.
The narrative of the Al Taf Battle is so powerful, it is observed by Shiites with both faith and fury. For them, Imam Hussein is a symbol of reform and a strong voice against oppression.
Revolving around these themes, Mr Al Sadr, himself a descendant of Prophet Mohammed, kindled his recent protests to keep emotions high among his supporters while facing his rivals.
“Oh Hussein, our revolution is an extension of yours,” chanted a cleric as a procession went on inside the parliament building early this week. “We swear by your wounds, we will not bow.”
A large Iraqi flag hung above the faithful, with the famous saying for Imam Hussein written on it: “I never revolted in vain, as a rebel or as a tyrant, but I rose seeking reform for the nation of my grandfather Mohammed”.
Mr Al Sadr emerged as a powerful religious leader after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led regime and brought Iraq's majority Shiites to power.
Shortly after the invasion, he formed a militia that attracted thousands from his wide support base, which consists largely of impoverished Iraqis. They fought fierce battles with US and British troops, particularly in Iraq's southern cities including Najaf, Karbala, Basra and Al Amarah.
When the country plunged into sectarian warfare between 2006 and 2008, his Mahdi Army militia was accused of killing minority Sunnis. Politicians linked to the Sadrist Movement are also blamed for contributing to Iraq's environment of endemic corruption.
Mr Al Sadr has tried to distance himself from violence during the period of sectarian chaos, claiming that members of the Mahdi Army who committed abuses were not official members of the group.
But in recent years, he has reinvented himself, presenting a picture of a populist leader who seeks reform through fighting corruption and sectarianism, while forming alliances with prominent Sunni politicians.
These are the themes his political group used in their campaign for October's elections after which they emerged as the clear winner with 73 seats in Parliament out of the 329.
But in June, Mr Al Sadr acknowledged his failure to form a majority government with other leading parties, including Sunnis and Kurds and ordered his MPs to resign. In returned, the Iran-backed Co-ordination Framework — whom Mr Al Sadr wanted to sideline, took the lead in forming the government.
As Mr Al Sadr’s followers were knocking down blast walls around the Green Zone on Wednesday, breaking into the parliament building to stop his rivals meeting to form the next government, he wanted them to remember Imam Hussein's revolution.
“The revolution of Al Taf has been the lighthouse for the free people around the world,” he said in a tweet. “A lot of revolutionaries are inspired by it to reject injustice, falsehood and corruption..”
When the protesters returned to Parliament on Saturday, he ordered them to stage an open-ended sit-in until his demands for overhauling the political system and changing the constitution were met.
His aids called on volunteers — who every year set up tents to offer free food and drinks to mourners during Muharram, in what is known as Mawakib, to serve the protesters.
Hours later, dozens of tents were erected and started to cook in large pots, used during Muharram. Posters for Imam Hussein hung next to Mr Al Sadr’s at these tents with text praising both men. Mourning processions are held daily when night falls.
For the tribal leader Kadhim Al Timimi, Mr Al Sadr “made a good choice to coincide the protest with the revolution of his grandfather Imam Hussein when he fought corruption and injustice”.
“Today, we ask God for the sake of Imam Hussein and his family to support the revolution of Iraq against injustice and corruption, to eradicate the corrupt and put them on trial,” Mr Al Timimi said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
