Al-Hussein area in central Cairo witnessed a large turnout of devotees from across Egypt celebrating the final commemoration of the arrival of Imam Hussein’s head. Streets surrounding Al-Hussein Mosque were decorated with lights and flowers, with spiritual gatherings and religious lessons taking place.
Followers of Sufi orders held ceremonies marking the head’s arrival, with the mosque hosting multiple evening religious events combining devotion and popular celebration. Egyptians commemorate Imam Hussein twice: once on his birth anniversary and once on the anniversary of the head’s arrival in Egypt from Ashkelon.
The journey of the sacred head to Egypt dates back to 548 AH (1153 AD), when it was transferred from Ashkelon after negotiations and payment of a large sum of gold by the Fatimids. It was carried in a grand procession from Al-Salihiyah to Tala’i Mosque, specially built for the burial. Egyptians received the head with deep reverence, removing their shoes in honor. The head was placed in a green silk bag on a musk-scented wooden board inside the mosque, which is still recognized today as the site of Al-Sayyid Al-Hussein’s washing.
