With a history spanning over 400 years, the ceremony is considered one of the region’s most significant and symbolic forms of Shia mourning.
Every year on the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, large crowds from nearby cities and villages gather to participate in and witness the emotionally charged event.
The central feature of Nakhl-Gardani is the carrying of a large wooden structure, called the “Nakhl,” which symbolizes the coffin of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson who was martyred in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
The Nakhl is elaborately decorated with black cloth, mirrors, and religious symbols, and is lifted and carried by groups of mourners through the streets as a sign of reverence and collective mourning.
The ceremony is accompanied by recitations of elegies, chest-beating, and prayers, highlighting themes of sacrifice, resistance against oppression, and spiritual solidarity in memory of Ashura.
