Najaf prepares for Ashura with 870 mawkib to join mourning ceremonies

NAJAF, Iraq — Najaf authorities are preparing to host Ashura mourning ceremonies marking the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, with 870 mawkibs expected to take part this year, the provincial Mawkib Committee announced. The head of the committee said the participants will include 460 service mawkibs, 215 azza, 105 zanjil, 75 mash'al and 15 mashyak mawkibs, all joining the commemorations on the 10th of Muharram. The committee said the dispatch of mawkibs and entries to the Imam Ali Shrine will be coordinated with the administration of the Al-Aqsa [Emavi] Shrine and Najaf police, with visitors to be provided accommodation, meals and other basic services. Mawkib owner Ali Miyali said the torch mawkib tradition is held annually on the eighth, ninth and tenth nights of the Hijri month, with lit torches carried toward the Imam Ali Shrine. Miyali said the ritual commemorates the tragedy of Karbala, symbolizing the burning of Imam Hussein's tents and the suffering of women and children, and noted that the tradition has been observed in Najaf since 1914. Another mawkib owner, Aaqil Muhsin, said preparations began on the first day of Muharram and will continue through the end of Safar, with local residents opening their homes to visitors. Muslims travel to Najaf during Ashura to mark the killing of Imam Hussein ibn Ali in the 680 Battle of Karbala.