A Sabean Mandean bride participates in a wedding ritual on the banks of the Tigris River. Sabean Mandeans, who revere John the Baptist, periodically perform baptisms to renew their faith. There is only a small community of Sabean Mandeans left in Iraq, possibily as few as 5,000, as most of the pre-2003 population of around 50,000 fled following the fall of Sadam Hussien.