🏴 Husayni Mourning Around the World – 2026

🌐 Turkey:

Ashura International Foundation / Husayni Mourning News:

The commemoration of the first ten days of Muharram and the mourning of the devotees of Sayyed al-Shuhada in the Islamic country of Turkey are held similarly to other countries around the world, with both Shiite and Sunni groups commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his companions in the plain of Karbala—which in a sense serves as a symbol of Muslim unity in Turkey.

Each year, Turkey’s Ja’fari Shiite Muslim community in the Halkalı neighborhood of Istanbul organizes magnificent mourning processions and Ashura commemoration parades to evoke the pain and suffering of that Infallible Imam (a.s.), who is a prominent figure of Shiite Islam.

In Halkalı (home to the Zeynebiye Mosque, Husayniyyah, and Cultural Complex in Istanbul), mourning is widespread, and the streets are adorned with black flags. Ja’fari Shiites—men and women, young and old—dressed in black and wearing red headbands inscribed with “Ya Hussein,” participate in organized mourning processions, and large crowds gather at cultural centers to listen to speeches and elegies delivered by preachers. Additionally, the “Union of AhlulBayt (a.s.) Scholars of Turkey” holds various gatherings in different cities across Turkey.

Shiites in the provinces of Kars and Iğdır also hold significant gatherings, sometimes attracting tens of thousands of participants, who, dressed in black, take part in chest-beating, chain-beating, and lamentation ceremonies. Some mourners also carry symbolic caskets.

*Serving “Ashura” by Sunnis

Sunni Muslims in Turkey recognize the day of Ashura as a day of charity, and non-governmental urban organizations and institutions prepare a dessert called “Ashura” that is distributed throughout Turkey. Ashura is, in fact, a sweet pudding—a mixture of grains and dried fruits, garnished with pomegranate—that is also traditionally prepared in homes and shared as a votive offering (nazr) among neighbors, and is prepared in large containers and distributed among the poor.

At the tomb of “Sumbül Efendi Dervish Lodge,” volunteers dressed in dervish attire prepare Ashura dessert in large cauldrons and, as a historical tradition, offer it as a votive offering to visitors.

It is said that this tomb belongs to Fatima and Sukayna, two daughters of Imam Hussein (a.s.), who passed away in Constantinople centuries ago, and the Ashura dessert was first distributed at this tomb during the Ottoman rule in Istanbul.

*Commemoration of Ashura by Turkey’s Alevis

The Alevis constitute the largest religious minority in Turkey, whose religious beliefs are a synthesis of several Islamic schools of thought and Sufi concepts. Among the most important religious rituals of the Alevis are mourning and fasting during the first twelve days of the month of Muharram. At the end of these twelve days, they hold a thanksgiving ceremony by preparing a communal meal (walima).

During this month, the Alevi community in Turkey also keeps alive the memory of the historical Battle of Karbala through their own specific traditions and rituals. Alevi Shiites fast for the twelve days of Muharram and observe their own particular customs on the day of Ashura.