World's Largest Candle

I started writing my second Bahrain post today, but one sentence in a couple of other projects demanded my attention, and I never got back to it. I should have it up tomorrow or Friday, however. In the meantime, know that in February 2005, Bahrainis commemorated Ashura by lighting the world's largest candle:

"A 73-metre candle, believed to be the world’s biggest candle ever made, was lit last night in Manama, near the mosque in Ma’atem Al Orayeb, writes Titus Filio.

"Members of the Hussaini Drawing Society for Islamic Arts put up the candle to mark this year’s Ashura.

"'This candle is our message of love and unity to Bahrain and to the world,' said Riyad Al Dahaba, one of the founding members of the the society...

"The candle, weighing 1,410kg, is made up of 30 moulds and has 11,880 wicks.

"The society has officially put up the candle to be entered in the Guinness Book of Records.

"'As far as we know the biggest candle entered in the Guinness Book is around 80 feet. This one is some 240 feet,' Al Dahaba said."