Iraqi Mandaeans perform baptism rituals during the Benja festival - in pictures

The five-day religious festival is held on the banks of the Tigris river in Baghdad

Iraqi Mandaeans perform a ritual on the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. AFP

A Mandaean cleric baptises a girl in the Tigris, Baghdad. AFP

Iraqi Mandaeans perform religious rituals during the Benja festival in Baghdad. Mandaeans traditionally speak a variety of Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. They call Adam their prophet and revere John the Baptist. 'Saba' is Aramaic for baptise and 'manda' means knowledge. They trace their roots to pre-Christian times and some scholars believe the sect began as a heretical branch of Judaism that spread south through the land of the two rivers, or Mesopotamia, in the second century AD. Reuters

Iraqi Mandaeans, a minority sect, perform religious rituals during the five-day Benja festival in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

Mandaeans, a small ethnic and religious minority, perform rituals during the Benja festival in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

Mandaeans at prayer during the Benja religious festival in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

An Iraqi Mandaean woman performing a religious ritual during the Benja festival in Baghdad. Reuters

Mandaeans performing religious duties during the Benja festival in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

Iraqi Mandaeans, a religious minority, during the five-day Benja festival in Baghdad. Reuters

Iraqi Mandaeans perform rituals during the five-day Benja religious festival in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

Iraqi Mandaeans pray during a ritual on the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. AFP

An Iraqi Mandaean cleric baptises a girl on the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. AFP

Mandaeans on the banks of the Tigris in Baghdad. Mandaeans trace their roots to pre-Christian times and some scholars believe the sect began as a heretical branch of Judaism that spread south through the land of the two rivers, or Mesopotamia, in the second century AD. AFP

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