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Ashura is famous for the people practising self-flagellation but Ashura is more than that. For the Shia people, the Day of Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram and commemorates the killing of Hussein and his 72 relatives by the Umayyad caliphate in Karbala, Iraq. In Iran, this is the time for unique celebrations all over the country.
The Alam belongs to a community. Some cost more than 10,000 euros. The quality of an Alam is judged by its size and finishing details. Purists swear by handmade fabric and embroideries. There are countless symbols on an Alam, all
of which recall Hussein’s tragic fate.