Clouds prevent ‘light incident’ at shrine
SİİRT
Hundreds of people flocked to the eastern province of Siirt’s Tillo district to watch this year’s first “light incident,” which happens on every equinox for just five minutes after dawn in a historical shrine but clouds over the town left the crowd unhappy.
Every year, in the vernal equinox on March 21 and the autumnal equinox on Sept. 23, the sun shines on the graveyard of the shrine of Islamic scholar and preacher İsmail Fakirullah with the help of a reflecting system made 258 years ago.
The sunlight reverberates on the mirror on the tower of the shrine, then goes inside a small window and enlightens only the graveside of Fakirullah’s shrine, an incident that some find illuminating and consider a “sacred event.”
However, the long-waited event organized by the Tillo District Governor’s Office and the Tillo Municipality did not take place as expected.
After the morning prayer, the crowd gathered in the district center, waiting for the sunrise in the cold 7 degrees below zero, but the “light incident” did not occur due to the cloudy weather.
The disappointed crowd could only watch the video of the incident that occurred on last year’s Sept. 23 through an LED screen. Hot soup was served to those present at the shrine by the Turkish Red Crescent.
The system was built by İbrahim Hakkı, a follower of İsmail Fakirullah who died in 1774. Since then, lovers of scholars have flocked to Tillo on equinoxes, when the length of day and night are equal.
