According to the Astan (custodianship) of the holy shrine, Seyyed Afdhal Al-Shami, the deputy of the Astan, said that the red flag on the dome will be replaced by a black one, as a sign of grief and mourning.
The will be a special ceremony with the pilgrims of and a number of religious and political figures in attendance.
The religious tradition of changing the flag is held every year on the first night of Muharram, the first month in the lunar Hijri calendar.
Shia Muslims, and others in different parts of the world, will hold mourning ceremonies starting from Thursday, to mourn the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions in the month of Muharram.
Imam Hussein (AS) and a small group of his followers and family members were martyred by the tyrant of his time - Yazid Bin Moaweya in 680 AD.
They were martyred in the battle of Karbala on Ashura- the tenth day of Muharram.
source : abna24