Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after Ramadan. The tenth day of Muharram is known as Ashura. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the death of Hussein ibn Ali, the third Imam of Shia, who was beheaded during the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.