Imam Reza Shrine marked the birth anniversary of Ali ibn Musa al-Reza with the ceremonial raising of a new green flag over the golden dome, as the sound of drums from the shrine’s naqareh-khaneh (drum house) ushered in a day of celebration, prayer and pilgrimage. Framed as a message of joy from Mashhad, northeast Iran, to devotees across the world, the ceremony cast the shrine in an atmosphere of festivity and spiritual renewal.