Old Manama: Festival to commemorate the death of Imam Ali

The streets of old Manama, 4pm on a Friday. Later on these would be flooded with an estimated 100-150,000 people commemorating the death of Imam Ali. The streets of old Manama are sweet, they twist and wind, have old school-ey doorways, and have enough nooks and crannies to satisfy even the most curious of explorers.


Ali was one of the many to explain the goings on of the evening. We had many a cup of tea and plates of chicken/porridge-y stuff that I can never remember the name of. At night the streets came alive, flooded with people wearing black. Crowds moved in all directions and generated a strange carnival/funeral atmosphere. Really interesting.


One of the Persian matams (parade). These guys gave it their all. This group numbered around 200 men, and was one of many groups passing through the streets.


Another matam. It was always strange squeezing down the sides of these groups, the streets were that narrow that you could not help but be in close phyiscal contact with everyone around you. Once again: really interesting.