Sand Kitchen

I thought it could be interesting to show what Ashoora is like for me in Bahrain.

Ashoora is quite a long explanation (Googling it will give you some idea!) but in short, it’s the commemoration of a battle which resulted in the death of the Prophet’s grandson that happened over 1,300 years ago.

The technicalities of why the battle was fought are nuanced, but one of the aspects that we focus on is the lack of humanity during that battle. Imam Hussain, the prophets grandson, and his family and friends were barred from accessing water for several days. The battle itself lasted a day, and all of the men and young boys in his camp were killed, including his newborn son. As a result, we remember the battle every year by retelling the story, and in order to honour the Imam, we serve free food and water. Many people cook at home and give to neighbours, and ma’atams get donations and cook large amounts of food to hand to visitors and anyone in need.

For the recipe on how to make Bahraini Okra Curry, click here.
For last year’s Ashoora video, in Iraq, click here.