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A hussainia (Persian: حسینیه), also known as an ashurkhana, imambargah, or imambara, is a congregation hall for Shia commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Remembrance of Muharram. The name comes from Husayn Ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad and the third imam of the Shia Muslims. Imam Hussain was killed by the Umayyad caliph Yazid I at the Battle of Karbala in Iraq, on October 10, 680 AD. Shias commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain every year on the day of Ashura in hussainias all over the world.
A hussainiya is different from a mosque in that it is intended mainly for gatherings for Muharram in the mourning of Hussain ibn Ali, and may not necessarily hold juma'at, or Friday prayers.
In South Asia, a hussainia can also be referred to as an imambara, imambargah, or ashurkhana. In Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, it is called a ma'tam (مأتم). In Lebanon, its called Arabic: حسينية – hussainiā. In Afghanistan and Central Asia, the equivalent term for a Shia congregation hall is takyakhana.