More Americans think the U.S. is losing ground in scientific achievements compared to other countries, and a clear split emerges when the numbers are analyzed by political parties, according to a new poll.
BEIRUT (AP) — Every evening as the sun drops behind Beirut’s concrete skyline, Loubna Hamdan steps onto her rooftop and whistles. A flutter of wings follows. Dozens of pigeons — white, speckled, chestnut, black — circle above her, catching the day’s last light. Here, the 36-year-old office worker has found an unexpected refuge.
Pigeons circle above the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who leave food out for the birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons circle above the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who leave food out for the birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan sits on the rooftop of her building as she feeds pigeons at dusk in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan sits on the rooftop of her building as she feeds pigeons at dusk in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Hamdan never imagined she would keep pigeons. The interest began a decade ago through her husband, Ibrahim Ammar, who has raised birds since childhood. She admired how calmly they settled on him and how he always sensed when one was missing.
“I fell in love with pigeons because of the way he loved them,” she said. She scatters grain, checks the water and looks for any bird that seems weak or hurt. Ammar joins her, showing her how to handle them gently and how to read their behavior in the air.
As dusk deepens, the flock settles into the loft. “When the pigeons return,” Hamdan said, “it feels like home.”
Pigeons stand on the rooftop of the loft of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who did the piercing on the beak of the pigeon on the right for a decorative ring, in Chiyah, where the couple leaves food out for birds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons stand on the rooftop of the loft of Loubna Hamdan and her husband Ibrahim Ammar, who did the piercing on the beak of the pigeon on the right for a decorative ring, in Chiyah, where the couple leaves food out for birds in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons gather on the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan in Chiyah, who leaves food out for the birds, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons gather on the rooftop of Loubna Hamdan in Chiyah, who leaves food out for the birds, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan squirts water in the mouth of a pigeon held by her husband Ibrahim Ammar to help it swallow flu medicine on the rooftop of their loft where they leave out food for birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan squirts water in the mouth of a pigeon held by her husband Ibrahim Ammar to help it swallow flu medicine on the rooftop of their loft where they leave out food for birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons sit on the rooftop of Ibrahim Ammar andLoubna Hamdan, where the couple leaves food out, in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, at sunset, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons sit on the rooftop of Ibrahim Ammar andLoubna Hamdan, where the couple leaves food out, in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, at sunset, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Ibrahim Ammar gives flu medication to a pigeon on the rooftop of his building where he and his wife leave out food for birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Ibrahim Ammar gives flu medication to a pigeon on the rooftop of his building where he and his wife leave out food for birds in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons fly above the rooftop of Loubna Hamdans, who leaves out food, in Chiyah, southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons fly above the rooftop of Loubna Hamdans, who leaves out food, in Chiyah, southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan holds her Senegal parrot named Mango at her rooftop loft where she leaves food out for pigeons in Chiyah, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, at sunset Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Loubna Hamdan holds her Senegal parrot named Mango at her rooftop loft where she leaves food out for pigeons in Chiyah, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, at sunset Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Ibrahim Ammar, left, sits with his wife Loubna Hamdan, his father Salman and a neighbor as they drink tea amid pigeons that they feed on their building’s rooftop in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Ibrahim Ammar, left, sits with his wife Loubna Hamdan, his father Salman and a neighbor as they drink tea amid pigeons that they feed on their building’s rooftop in Chiyah, the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, July 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons perch on the roof of the Dome City Center, known locally as “The Egg,” at sunrise in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Pigeons perch on the roof of the Dome City Center, known locally as “The Egg,” at sunrise in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
REEDS SPRING, Mo. (AP) — The first year Shirley Mease cooked up a free Thanksgiving feast in the Reeds Spring High School cafeteria, icy weather kept most people away. But when her family knocked on doors to offer the meals, the gratefulness they found confirmed the need in her Missouri community.
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease shops for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease shops for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, talks with her daughter Kristal Porter, center, and granddaughter Teagan Porter, left, as they shop for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, talks with her daughter Kristal Porter, center, and granddaughter Teagan Porter, left, as they shop for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kristal Porter places caned goods in a cart as a shopping list is seen nearby while shopping for supplies to make 700 Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kristal Porter places caned goods in a cart as a shopping list is seen nearby while shopping for supplies to make 700 Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, and son-in-law Rick Porter load up a car after shopping for supplies needed to make 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, and son-in-law Rick Porter load up a car after shopping for supplies needed to make 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, left, pauses to pray with family members as they break for lunch while shopping for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, left, pauses to pray with family members as they break for lunch while shopping for supplies needed to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Springfield, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
“When you work with the school system you know the families that are in need because there are a lot of babies that come to school and that’s the only meal they get,” says Mease, who is semi-retired from her job in the cafeteria.
That first year, 2009, Mease and her volunteer crew provided 100 meals. This holiday, they expect to serve 700, drawing on donations. That’s up from about 625 last year, to account for food insecurity in many households that count on SNAP food aid benefits suspended during the federal government’s recent shutdown.
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease wheels a cart in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease wheels a cart in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Larry Mease works to peel 240 pounds of sweet potatoes as he helps his wife, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Larry Mease works to peel 240 pounds of sweet potatoes as he helps his wife, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kooper Keeland, 2, watches as his great-grandmother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kooper Keeland, 2, watches as his great-grandmother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, uses the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the sink in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease uses the sink in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School, where she used to work, while preparing 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kristal Porter, right, helps her mother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, load turkeys into the oven in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School as they prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Kristal Porter, right, helps her mother, high school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, load turkeys into the oven in the kitchen at Reeds Spring High School as they prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, in Reeds Spring, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
All are welcome, no questions asked.
The 73-year-old Mease, her children and grandchildren have been preparing for weeks, loading shopping carts and picking up donations. When she and volunteers arrived at the school cafeteria Wednesday to begin cooking, at least 44 turkeys and 225 pounds (102 kilograms) of sweet potatoes awaited.
“I know (SNAP) is back in working order, but it will take time for that to really help people out,” she says. “Especially in this area, the food banks are being hit very hard, so I just feel like this is a time to step it up a little bit.”
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, stops to hug her granddaughter Teagan Porter as they shop for supplies to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
High school cafeteria worker Shirley Mease, right, stops to hug her granddaughter Teagan Porter as they shop for supplies to prepare 700 free Thanksgiving meals for community members Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Nixa, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
___
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Nov. 21, 1940 | A balloon depicting Superman kicks off the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade of 1940. It was an early Thanksgiving that year after U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt issued a proclamation setting the holiday one week earlier than anticipated. In 1941, a law was signed declaring that future Thanksgivings would be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.
DARAYA, Syria (AP) — In the war-ravaged town of Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, a group of young Syrian artists has turned the ruins of a bombed-out house into a canvas of remembrance. On the collapsed ceiling, they painted a colorful graffiti mural honoring families lost during years of conflict.
The project was led by Bilal Shoraba, seen in a yellow T-shirt, who was an activist and graffiti artist during the Syrian army’s siege of Daraya between 2012 and 2016. During that time, when the city became a center of resistance to then-President Bashar Assad’s rule, Shoraba created about 30 graffiti works as quiet acts of defiance.
A group of Syrian graffiti artists sketch a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists sketch a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Assad was ousted in a lightning rebel offensive in December, halting nearly 14 years of civil war that killed around half a million people, displaced millions more, and left tens of thousands missing.
After returning to Daraya, Shoraba launched a workshop with the Dar Ebla Cultural Center to teach local youth the art of graffiti. The mural seen here grew out of that collaboration — a symbol of resilience and renewal in a place once synonymous with loss.
In the midst of shattered walls and broken homes, their paint brings a touch of color and hope back to Daraya.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Paint and brushes sit on rubble next to a graffiti mural recently painted by a group of Syrian graffiti artists on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Paint and brushes sit on rubble next to a graffiti mural recently painted by a group of Syrian graffiti artists on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists look at a mural they painted on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists look at a mural they painted on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syrian graffiti artists paint a mural on a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian graffiti artist paints on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A Syrian graffiti artist paints on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists pose for a photo after painting a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
A group of Syrian graffiti artists pose for a photo after painting a mural on the collapsed ceiling of a war-damaged house in Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Democrat Abigail Spanberger, right, shares a moment with her mother after she was declared the winner of the Virginia governor’s race during an election night watch party Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va.
(AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
A crowd at Spanberger’s campaign headquarters in Richmond on election night.
11/24
LEESBURG, VIRGINIA – NOVEMBER 04: Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate, Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, joined by her husband Terence, delivers her concession speech during her election night watch party at The National Conference Center on November 04, 2025 in Leesburg, Virginia. Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger defeated Earle-Sears to become the first female governor in the commonwealth’s history in an election that was seen as a national political bellwether leading into the midterms.
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
13/24
A young girl holds up her to-do list, beginning with “vote”, outside Alexandria City Hall, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Alexandria, Va.
(AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
A voter completes her ballot at Alexandria City Hall, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
19/24
Democrat Jay Jones, left, and Republican incumbent Jason Miyares shake hands at the start of the Virginia attorney general debate in Richmond, Va., Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.
(Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, Pool)
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LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Drumming, dancing, and bright lights. Pakistan’s centuries-old tradition of honoring Sufi saints comes alive during annual festivals known as Urs.
In the eastern city of Lahore, as many as one million people pour into a shrine complex that is the final resting place of Hazrat Ali Hajveri, known as Data Ganj Bakhsh or simply Data Sahib, for a three-day celebration of his life.
Processions arrive in Lahore from across Pakistan, with devotees reciting Quranic verses and offering ceremonial cloths at Ali Hajveri’s grave. Some perform a dhamaal — a ritual dance accompanied by drumming. They spin around until they enter a trance-like state.
Devotees pass walk through gate at a checkpoint as they arrive to attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees pass walk through gate at a checkpoint as they arrive to attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees look at a performer balancing clay pot with an iron structure on his head as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees look at a performer balancing clay pot with an iron structure on his head as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
A spiritual path devotee locally called ‘Malang’ ties ‘Ghungroo’, a set of small metallic bells strung together, on his feet for performing a devotional dance called ‘Dhamaal’ during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
A spiritual path devotee locally called ‘Malang’ ties ‘Ghungroo’, a set of small metallic bells strung together, on his feet for performing a devotional dance called ‘Dhamaal’ during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Youngsters with others look to a spiritual path devotee locally called ‘Malang’ performing a devotional dance called ‘Dhamaal’ during the celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Youngsters with others look to a spiritual path devotee locally called ‘Malang’ performing a devotional dance called ‘Dhamaal’ during the celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Ali Hajveri, a mystic and scholar, was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan, in 990. He traveled through Iran, Iraq, and Syria to meet the leading Sufi masters of his era and stayed in Lahore until he died in 1077. He is the city’s patron saint. The shrine, Data Darbar, is already a landmark and one of the busiest Sufi pilgrimage sites in South Asia. But it transforms into a hub of faith, fraternity, and culture during Urs. A langar, or community kitchen, dishes out free meals around the clock to worshippers. Devotional singing, or qawwali, adds to the festive feel.
Devotees arrive with ceremonial cloth locally called ‘chaddar’ painted with ‘Quranic recitations’ which they place over the saint’s grave during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees arrive with ceremonial cloth locally called ‘chaddar’ painted with ‘Quranic recitations’ which they place over the saint’s grave during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees carry a big turban and bundle of garland as they arrive to attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees carry a big turban and bundle of garland as they arrive to attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees lay garland and ceremonial cloth locally called ‘chaddar’ on the shrine of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees lay garland and ceremonial cloth locally called ‘chaddar’ on the shrine of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
“We have been coming here since my childhood, almost 40 years,” said Hussain Jilani, 57. “We feel spiritually fulfilled whenever we come. Data Sahib is a source of blessings. Whatever task we have gets resolved with his grace.” Saleem Tayyab, 63, is also a regular. “Our pockets have never been empty, and our hearts never without peace,” he said. “Whoever comes here takes blessings with him.”
Volunteers pack food for devotees attending celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Volunteers pack food for devotees attending celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees jostle to get free food as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees jostle to get free food as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees jostle to get free sweets as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees jostle to get free sweets as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees drink milk at a stall as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees drink milk at a stall as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees touch the shrine’s lattice as an act of faithfulness during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees touch the shrine’s lattice as an act of faithfulness during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
A group of singers perform ‘Qawwali’, a form of Sufi devotional music, during the celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
A group of singers perform ‘Qawwali’, a form of Sufi devotional music, during the celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees light clay-lamp during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees light clay-lamp during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees eat food during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees eat food during celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar, Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees offer evening prayers at a mosque in the shrine of saint Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees offer evening prayers at a mosque in the shrine of saint Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh as they attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’, in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
Devotees attend celebrations of the three-day annual festival or ‘Urs’ of mystic and scholar Hazrat Ali Hajveri, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh at his shrine, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.