Shiite worshippers visit the holy shrine of Imam Abbas, during Muharram, a period of mourning for Shiites, in Karbala, Iraq, Iraq, Thursday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic, or Hijri, calendar, and one of four sacred months during which Islam forbids warfare and encourages increased prayer, charity and reflection. The most important day is called Ashoura, which commemorates the martyrdom of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Hussein, who was killed in 680 battle in present-day Iraq. While the passage of the Islamic new year is generally more solemn and introspective than festive, Muslims may observe the holiday differently, according to their school of thought.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Kashmiri Shiite Muslim women watch during a Muharram procession in the interior of Dal Lake on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)A Shiite Muslim child flagellates himself during a Muharram procession in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)Shiite faithful Muslims attend an Ashoura procession which commemorates the 7th-century martyrdom of Imam Hussein in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)Kashmiri Shiite Muslims shout slogans against Israel and the U.S. as they participate in a Muharram procession aboard wooden boats in the interior of Dal Lake on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)An Iraqi Shiite holds a baby dressed to symbolize the slain 6-month-old son of Imam Hussein, during Ashoura commemorations in Karbala, Iraq, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)People mourn as a tent is set on fire in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 25, 2026, during re-enactment of the battle of Karbala in A.D. 680 in present-day Iraq, in which Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, one of Shiite Islam’s most beloved saints, and his family and companions were killed after refusing to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)A woman holds a child during a mourning ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 25, 2026, in the holy day of Ashoura which commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and his family and companions at the Battle of Karbala in A.D. 680, in present-day Iraq, after refusing to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)Afghan Shiite worshippers receive juice from a stand before attending Muharram religious ceremonies ahead of Ashoura at the Chendawol Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)A Shiite Muslim boy beats his chest with others in a ritual during a gathering in the mourning month of Muharram, in Peshawar, Pakistan, late night on Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)People clean chains, blades and knives after Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves during a Muharram procession in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves during a Muharram procession in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)Shiite worshippers visit the holy shrine of Imam Husseinon, during “Muharram,” a period of mourning for Shiites in Karbala, Iraq, Wednesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)Shiite Muslims beat their chests in a ritual during a gathering in the mourning month of Muharram, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jun 24, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)EDS NOTE: GRAPHIC CONTENT – Shiite faithful pilgrims flagellate themselves as a sign of grief for Imam Hussein during a Muharram procession, in Najaf, Iraq, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Iraqi Shiite faithful Muslims beat their chests as a sign of grief for Imam Hussein during a Muharram procession in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Adil al-Khazali)Shiite faithful worshippers gather between the holy shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas, seen in the background, during “Muharram,” a period of mourning for Shiites in Karbala, Iraq, Wednesday, June 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)Kashmiri Shiite Muslims participate in a Muharram procession in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)Shiite Muslims beat their chests in a ritual during a procession in the mourning month of Muharram, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)Shiites participate in Muharram processions of the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, June 21, 2026, to mark the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Shiite Muslims touch a horse, that symbolises the horse that carried Imam Hussein during a procession in the mourning month of Muharram, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)Shiites participate in Muharram processions of the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, June 21, 2026, to mark the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Shiites participate in Muharram processions of the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Sunday, June 21, 2026, to mark the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
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