Iraq: Thousands of mourners gather in Karbala to commemorate Ashura.

SHOTLIST: KARBALA, IRAQ (JUNE 25, 2026) 1. EXTERIOR OF MOSQUE 2. VARIOUS OF SHIA MUSLIMS PARTICIPATING IN MOURNING CEREMONIES, RECITING ELEGIES AND LAMENTATIONS, AND OBSERVING TRADITIONAL RITUALS IN MEMORY OF IMAM HUSSEIN 3. VARIOUS OF BLACKSMITH MAKING 'ZULFIQAR' SWORD 4. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE GETTING HAIRCUT 5. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKINGKARBALA, IRAQ - JUNE 25, 2026: Thousands of Shia Muslims gathered in the Iraqi city of Karbala on Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, on Thursday, June 25, to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his 72 companions. Participants attended mourning ceremonies, recited elegies and lamentations, and observed traditional rituals in memory of Imam Hussein, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, also known as Ashura, marks the anniversary of the passing of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Hussein in the desert plains of Karbala, some 113 kilometers (70 miles) from the modern-day capital Baghdad. Hussein, along with 72 loyal companions, was killed in the infamous Battle of Karbala in year 61 of the Islamic calendar by the forces of Umayyad Caliph Yazid I on the 10th day of Muharram.