Sham-e Ghariban to Hold in Istanbul

5 street shows lasting 15 minutes were performed with the presence of Turkish non-professional actors and in Turkish on the theme of Imam Hussain (a.s.), Abbas ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abd-Allah ibn al-Husayn , Muslim bin Aqil and Al-Hurr ibn Yazid from the beginning of Muharram in two places in the Esenyurt  region, Istanbul.

These plays were written and directed by Morteza Aghighi, one of the artists of Qom city. Mohammad Amini as assistant director and Elham Kazemnejad and Shabnam Qamari accompanied the group as costume and stage designers.

As the audience increased, 20 performances were held during these days, and it ended with the performance of Sham-e Ghariban in Cumhuriyet Square.

Shām-e Gharībān (The Evening of Strangers) refers to the evening (time of sunset) of the Muharram 10 (i.e., the Day of 'Ashura) in Farsi literature and poetry. On this night, Shi'as mourn and lament the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a) and the tribulations and tragedies that befell the Ahl al-Bayt (a). This commemoration takes place in every corner of Iran and the world and is commemorated with special and unique rituals. Some of the rituals that take place on the evening of 'Ashura include setting fire to symbolic tents (that represent the tents of the camp of Imam al-Husayn (a) which were burned by the enemies on that night in 61/680), lighting candles, and reciting eulogies (Rawda Khani) in memory of the events that took place.