Srinagar, June 26 -- Warm asphalt pressed against bare feet as women entered Zadibal on Ashura morning, joining thousands of mourners in Srinagar's oldest Muharram neighbourhood.

Black banners hung above narrow lanes, covering shopfronts and linking homes that have witnessed generations of mourning.

Marsiyas floated through loudspeakers before merging with voices rising from the procession.

Men formed disciplined rows for lament, while women settled along verandas, outside homes and beside the route, creating another layer of remembrance that unfolded alongside the public ritual.

Ashura has long transformed Zadibal into the spiritual centre of Muharram observances in Kashmir. Families reached the neighbourhood early, hoping to secure ...