Fidel Castro's ashes have begun a four-day journey across Cuba from Havana to their final resting place in the eastern city of Santiago.

The remains of the 90-year-old leader were taken out of Cuba's Defense Ministry and placed in a small coffin covered by a Cuban flag to begin a more than 500-mile (800 kilometer) procession.

His ashes will be interred Sunday, ending the nine-day mourning period for the man who ruled the country for nearly 50 years.

The route traces in reverse the victory tour Castro and his bearded rebels took after overthrowing the forces of strongman Fulgencio Batista in 1959.