For the last ten years, Syrian photographer Issa Touma has documented the Sufi procession of the Rifa'i brotherhood, 'the day of al-Ziyara', made in honour of the Sufi teacher Al-Sheikh Abou Bakr Al-Huwari. Sufism is a mystical order of Islam. Pilgrims visit the shrine of the Holy Marabout, bearing money and other gifts, and perform music, dance, song and mystical rituals where many are said to experience religious ecstasy. The culmination of the procession is the spectacle of the mortification of the flesh, which is considered an extreme act of faith.

As Touma became accepted by the group, his photographs began to reveal an increased intimacy. He placed himself at the heart of the activity and his subjects are often shown at close-range. Touma's use of the panoramic camera, and sometimes wide angle and 'fish eye' lenses, appropriately captures the size and energy of the crowd. Touma's series represents a sustained and mature photographic enquiry over many years and a rare insight into a religious and cultural event largely unknown outside of the area. More than simply a document, this series captures the fervour of the procession and its participants with a sympathetic visual style.