Sunday, February 20, 2011

Ziarat - shrines

Ziarat are shrines found throughout Afghanistan, usually where a holy man or saint is buried. Often, they are located in groves of trees and visitors tie small pieces of colored cloth to the branches. The belief is that the person buried in the ziarat possessed special blessings and therefore is able to influence God to help make one’s prayers come true, even after death. Visitors come to ziarat seeking assistance with various problems, including illness, misfortune, or (among women) difficulty in conceiving a child. The cloth is tied to the tree as a reminder for the person buried there of the request made by the petitioner

Shrine - Ziarat  زيارت

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