During the week long Holiya festival followers reunite every night on an esplanade in a suburb of Khartoum. Some remain seated or else practice the Dhikr ritual. Thoughts are carried towards the heart of the night, soothed by the movements and songs of the ritual. One can rest for a while within the enclosure of the mausoleum or venture outside the sacred walls to sample an infusion of hibiscus flowers nimbly prepared by the Sudanse ladies comfortably installed in their little oriental salons by the side of the road. The warm welcome given by these small street traders forms part of the decoration and it complements a serene contemplation of the spectacle of the long night. Khartoum, Sudan.
