An event which is commemorated by many Shi‘a Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam al-Ḥusayn b. ʿAlī, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, which took place on the 10th of Muḥarram in 61 AH/680 CE. ʿĀshūrāʾ had been observed as early as the time of the fourth Imam ʿAlī Zayn al-ʿĀbidīn. The ʿĀshūrāʾ event historically developed to become a popular religious and artistic phenomenon which comprises several rituals including the ziyāra (visit) to the shrine of Imam al-usayn, and the recitation of the marāthī (elegies) by someone known as al-nāʾiḥ (professional mourner), at places called Majālis al-Taʿziya (commemorative centres). Commemoration of ʿĀshūrāʾ was greatly encouraged and became a major public event under the Abbasids. Under the Buydis, in 962 CE, ʿĀshūrāʾ was declared a day of public mourning in Baghdad. Subsequently, special edifices called Ḥusayniyyas were built for the ʿĀshūrāʾ celebrations. Under the dynasty of the Shi‘i Safawids in Iran (1501–1722), ʿĀshūrāʾ commemorations underwent significant elaboration, and these new forms came to influence many other parts of the Shi‘i world, where the Ḥusayniyyas became more popular. At present, in Shi‘a majority countries such as Iraq and Iran, ʿĀshūrāʾ has even become a national holiday.
