Bijar, Iran Shia men and women in Bijar, a western city of Iran, rub mud on their bodies as a mourning ritual on the 10th day of Muharram to commemorate the battle of Karbala, when Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed. This event is one of the most important rituals of the year for Shia Muslims. Imam Hussein, one of the most beloved saints of Islam for Shia people, was killed in a battle in Karbala in the 7th century. The people of Bijar go to the plains around their city a few days before Ashura, collect the clay needed for the ritual, and store it in mosques to prepare for the ritual on the eve of Ashura. This ritual, which is known as the mud-rubbing ritual, starts on the morning of Ashura. The mourning groups gather in the main streets of the city and mourn, beat their chests, and lament by rubbing mud on their bodies from head to toe.