Bibi-Ka-Alam: A Sacred Muharram Procession

The Bibi-Ka-Alam, also known as Alam-e-Mubarak, is one of the most revered Shia religious processions held annually during the festival of Muharram in Hyderabad, India. On the 10th day of Muharram, the Alam is established at the Shi’ite Ashurkhana Dar-Us-Shifa in honor of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad and his third successor. The procession begins at Alawa-e-Bibi in Dabirpura and concludes at Chaderghat, with mourners reciting Nauhey—poetic laments narrating the tragic events of Karbala in 60 Hijri. The locality itself, Mohalla Bibi Ka Alawa, is named after Hazrat Fatima-e-Zehra, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad.