As the day of Ashura approaches, the month of Moharram grows more solemn. In the Darul Shifa area in the Old City, the mourning over the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain, Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, and his family becomes more intense. Elegiac recitations recounting the tragedy at Karbala echo from loudspeakers in homes and other places of mourning. Large black flags emblazoned with ‘Ya Husain’ in red flutter from multiple spaces.

The recitations, known as nohas, are elegies lamenting the martyrdom of Imam Husain and his companions at Karbala. They evocatively describe the bloodshed of the innocent, the thirst of the people after women and children were denied water. Sabeels (water kiosks) line the arterial thoroughfare of Darul Shifa.

Throughout the day, and especially at night, the battle of Karbala, fought on the Ashura, the 10^th day of Moharrram, are narrated. The goodness of virtue, and the significance to fight evil.

In Ali Lodge, in Darul Shifa, part of the city’s history and heritage especially vis-a-vis Moharram, a majlis is underway on the 8th of Moharram. The speaker dwells upon the piety, righteousness, and vivid narrations of Karbala. The audience becomes emotional. Weary eyes are damp, and tears stream down cheeks. Earlier in the day, there was a juloos (procession) at Hussaini Kothi, several hundred men, women and children visit the alams (standards) there, and pay respects.

“For Shia Muslims, Moharram is not merely the beginning of the Islamic calendar but a period of profound mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussain,” said Syed Mounis Jafar Abidi, a lawyer. “The preparations begin well before the sighting of the Moharram moon. Around the 28th of Rajab, believers commemorate Imam Hussain’s departure from Medina towards Mecca.”

The first ten days of Moharram unfold in stages. The opening days are dedicated to Imam Hussain’s companions. “The mourning reaches its peak on the ninth and tenth days, when all martyrs of Karbala are remembered, culminating in the commemoration of Imam Hussain’s martyrdom on the day of Ashura,” he adds

With Ashura corresponding to Friday, police and civic authorities have made arrangements for azadaari and khooni maatam (self-flagellation) that is performed throughout the historic Bibi-ka-Alawa Moharram procession route, which historians state began from the Qutb Shahi period. The procession is a collaborative effort of over four dozen Shia organisations.

In the run-up to the Ashura, the Telangana Waqf Board stated that it had extended financial assistance as grants-in-aid to 959 institutions across the State. This includes 735 ashoorkhanas, 63 anjumans (congregations) and 161 sabeels.