Mandaeans, also known as Sabeans, take part in a religious ritual on the bank the Shat al-Arab river in the southern city of Basra, 550kms south of Baghdad, marking the Eid Al-Nour "the festival of light", on May 20, 2015. Mandaeans traditionally speak a variety of Aramaic, the language of Christ. They call Adam their prophet and revere John the Baptist -- "saba" is Aramaic for baptise, "manda" means knowledge. They trace their roots to pre-Christian times and some scholars believe the sect was a heretical branch of Judaism that spread south through the land of the two rivers, or Mesopotamia, in the second century AD. AFP PHOTO / HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI (Photo credit should read HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP/Getty Images)
