A Hussainia, also known as an Ashurkhana or Imambargah, is a congregation hall for Shia commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Remembrance of Muharram. The name comes from Husayn Ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad and an Imam of the Shia. Hussain was killed by Yazid I in Karbala, Iraq, over 1,300 years ago. Shias still mourn the death of Hussain every year on the day of Ashu
ra in Hussainias all over the world. A Hussainiya is different from a mosque in that it is intended mainly for gatherings for Muharram in the mourning of Hussain ibn Ali, and may not necessarily hold juma'at, or Friday Prayer. In South Asia, a Hussainia can also be referred to as an imambara, imambargah, or ashurkhana. In Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, it is called a ma'tam (مأتم). In Afghanistan and Central Asia, the equivalent term for a Shia congregation hall is takyakhana. Examples of Hussainias include the Bara Imambara and Imambara Ghufran Ma'ab, both in Lucknow, India, as well as the Imambara Wazeer Un Nisa in Amroha, India and the Hosseiniye Ershad in Tehran, Iran.
