Alam-Bandan: Regional mourning ritual in Iran’s Masouleh

The locals of Masouleh in the northern Iranian province of Gilan host a large number of people from across the country on the sixth day of Muharram, when a ceremony called Alam-Bandan is held in the region.

The ceremony, which is held for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Shia Imam in the holy month of Muharram, attracts many visitors as well as photographers and journalists who wait for hours to capture the images of the ceremony and write about the religious and historical rituals.

The ceremony begins when the mourners beat the cymbals and blow the horns on the roofs and courtyards of mosques to bring people together.

The mourners gather and, in turn, enter the courtyard of the Mausoleum of Imamzadeh Aun ibn Ali (AS).

They receive Alams (symbolic flag used at mourning rituals) of their mosques, decorated with green and black cloths, from the oldest Alamdar (flag holder) of the city.

At the end of Muharram, the Alams will be returned to the Imamzadeh to be kept until the next Muharram.

Masouleh is a popular stair village in the middle of green mountains of Gilan, northern Iran. The houses of the village are built in a way that the roof of each house is the courtyard of the upper neighbor.

There are numerous graveyards in the village, which are a proof Masouleh dates for a millennium.

MM/FM