Thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims marked the holy day of Ashura in Karbala. The annual commemoration mourns the 7th-century death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, which in effect gave birth to the Shiite sect of Islam. Over 1,340 years after Hussein’s death, Tehran and other cities across Iran were adorned with symbols of piety and repentance. Red flags represented Hussein’s blood, black funeral tents and clothes indicated mourning, and processions of chest-beating and self-flagellating men expressed fervor.