The Evening of Ashura
Poster
ca. 1990 (made)
ca. 1990 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In Iran, religious posters are commonly displayed in homes, workplaces and religious buildings. This poster depicts the female members of Imam Husayn's family mourning his death at the Battle of Karbala in 680AD.
The majority of Iran’s population are Shi'ia Muslims. The Shi’ite sect began in the 650s, when Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and Husayn’s father became Caliph (leader of the Muslim people). In the years following Mohammad's death there were contesting claims to power; the supporters of Ali and his family became known as the Shiites, which means "the followers of Ali”. In 680 the Umayyad Caliph weakened Shi’ite rule by killing Husayn, along with most of his male family and followers at Karbala in Iraq. Shi'ites remember the death of Husayn every year during the month of Muharram. Posters such as this one are a visual reminder of Husayn's martydom.
The majority of Iran’s population are Shi'ia Muslims. The Shi’ite sect began in the 650s, when Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and Husayn’s father became Caliph (leader of the Muslim people). In the years following Mohammad's death there were contesting claims to power; the supporters of Ali and his family became known as the Shiites, which means "the followers of Ali”. In 680 the Umayyad Caliph weakened Shi’ite rule by killing Husayn, along with most of his male family and followers at Karbala in Iraq. Shi'ites remember the death of Husayn every year during the month of Muharram. Posters such as this one are a visual reminder of Husayn's martydom.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Evening of Ashura (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Paper, laminated with printed design in coloured ink |
| Brief description | Poster, paper printed in coloured ink, Husayn's horse and female relations after Karbala, Iran, ca. 1990. |
| Physical description | Poster, laminated and printed in coloured ink. The central image shows six women in dark blue chadors centred around a white horse; four of the women are clinging on to the horse in despair and the other two are on the ground comforting each other. The horse has a green cloth draped over its back and an empty sword hilt and quiver attached. It has bleeding wounds on its neck and hind leg. On the ground is a discarded brown sandal, a brown saddle and three arrows. In the background on the left are two palm trees and on the right is a white tent. The central image is surrounded by a white border. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Credit line | Given by Dr Patricia L. Baker |
| Object history | This image is a reproduction of an original painting by Mahmoud Farshchian (b.24.01.1930), 1976 |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | In Iran, religious posters are commonly displayed in homes, workplaces and religious buildings. This poster depicts the female members of Imam Husayn's family mourning his death at the Battle of Karbala in 680AD. The majority of Iran’s population are Shi'ia Muslims. The Shi’ite sect began in the 650s, when Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and Husayn’s father became Caliph (leader of the Muslim people). In the years following Mohammad's death there were contesting claims to power; the supporters of Ali and his family became known as the Shiites, which means "the followers of Ali”. In 680 the Umayyad Caliph weakened Shi’ite rule by killing Husayn, along with most of his male family and followers at Karbala in Iraq. Shi'ites remember the death of Husayn every year during the month of Muharram. Posters such as this one are a visual reminder of Husayn's martydom. |
| Associated object | ME.6-2011 (Version) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | ME.10-2011 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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