THE KARBALA MASSACRE AND TO DAY SAUDI-IRAN WAR. by Casalino Pierluigi, Laigueglia, 1949.

The fratricidal war that begun with Ali's assassination culminated in the Karbala massacre in Iraq two years after, in which Husayn, Ali's son, fell into an ambush and was murdered along with the men in his entourage. His severed head was brought to his rival Yasid at Damascus, who later consented to its return to the family. The "return of the head" is still celebrated today by the Shiites, during the mourning in the month of Muhurran, a sort of Holy Week marked by an atmosphere of grieving and heightened passion. The memory of the Kerbala tragedy (see Casalino Pierluigi, The Battle of Kerbala, Asino Rosso, Blog) still evokes great popular feeling, and forms one of the commonest themes for popular prints in Iran and in Iraq. The prints typically illustrate the action, the batterfield and the combact; another common subject i Husayn'horse galloping without a rider, covered with arrows, in a desolated landscape. The Karbala martyrs are often represented by a line of camels travelling in the desert, each bearing a purple rose on its back, the symbol of martyrdom. Ali, a historical figure and hero, has also become a hero of legend and myth: it is to him, and not Mohammed, that the most extraordinary events, feats and miracles are attributed, in short, all the supernatural deeds demanded by popular imagination that are not found in the Koran. In fact the only miraculous episode contained in the Koran is Mohammed'ascent to heaven (See LIBER SCALAE AND THE DIVINE COMEDY or DANTE AND ISLAM, Asino Rosso, casalinopierluigi.bloog.it, Altervista in poche righe on line, Transfuturimo, by Casalino Pierluigi, Laigueglia, 1949, on the web)  from the Rock of Jerualem, to enter into the presence of Allah and receive confirmation of his task of bringing the Word to men on earth. The fabolous creature used for the journey was the hippogryph Buraq, a winged hors with a woman's head that makes a favourite theme for popular prints. Its enigmatic, sphinx-like face is characterized by a stern, close-lipped smile, its name is crowned with a diadem and withe neck is hung with pearls: the body is that of a beautiful horse (See Buraq, Asino Rosso by Casalino Pierluigi, Laigueglia, 1949). The shining tail belongs to the peaock: creature i shown with the gleaming wings unfolded in power flight. Apart from this ascension (See DANTE E L'ISLAM. ALTRE CONIDERAZIONI, Tranfuturismo, by Casalino Pierluigi, Laigueglia, 1949). on Buraq's back, Mohammed performed no miracles in his earthly life, according to the Koran. He neither healed cripples nor resuscitated the dead, but was a man and that alone. He died a natural death and his body remained on earth, buried at Medina here it still lies today. Ali is not decribed in great detail by the Koran and so was the ideal subject for transformation into a legendary hero. A valorous warrior who fought in the front lines of Islam's battles, Ali left behind memories ready for embellishment and magnification by the people, and in fact whole volumes of tales grew up. Ali'ssword Zulfiqar split many mountains in two (they correpond to actual geographical sites), defeated armies, beheaded monsters and giants; his horse Dol-Dol was of great speed and colour fly, second only in prowess to Buraq. Mythical stories were even provided for events occurring after Ali's death:supposedly his body was removed from his enemies' possession and loaded onto a white camel by night, which was left to wander acording to Allah's will. The camel, after journing thousands of miles, brought him from Iraq to Battriana in northern Afghanistan (See on the web "Afghanistan" by Casalino Pierluigi, Laigueglia, 1949), where he was buried. Many century later his body was rediscovered, and honoured with a splendid mausoleum at Mazar i-Sharif, now the holy city of Afghanistan which attracts huge yearly pilgrimages. The holy cities make up another dominant theme in popular iconographiy: Mecca and Medina, recognized by the entire islamic world, and other national sanctuaries or those venerated by a particular Moslem faith. In Iraq, important sites include Karbala with the martyr Husayn's mausoleums of the Imam Shiites. The popular prints sold at the bazaar bear no comparison with ordinary photographs, as the holy cities depicted are transformed into fairy-tale versions of their real architectural structure. Domes are all gold (in this case often correponding to their actual appearancel), minatrets are painted the most unbelievable colours, countryards and squares have black and white chequerboard paving, and the sky is filled with white doves bearing garlands or festoons of flowers in their beaks.
Casalino Pierluigi, on December, 9th, 2015