AhlulBayt News Agency: The service departments are among the most prominent departments of the Al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine in providing various services to the visitors of the Arbaeen of Imam al-Hussayn and his family (peace be upon them), as well as to the processions, organisations, and Hussaini groups.
At the forefront of these services are the efforts to organise the million-visitor pilgrimage and maintain the needs of the visitors while ensuring smooth movement, with several departments of the holy shrine participating in these tasks.
Organising the work of service processions
The Department of Rituals, Processions, and Hussaini Organisations works on providing several services to the procession owners throughout the year, while intensifying its efforts during the Arbaeen pilgrimage period. Among its most notable services is the issuance of legal sponsorships for mourning and service processions.
The field assistant to the head of the department, Mr. Qasim Muhammad Al-Tarfi, said: "The department is working on issuing identities and legal guarantees for the mourning and service processions participating in the Arbaeen pilgrimage, in cooperation with the security authorities in the holy city of Karbala." He added that "the processions wishing to enter the province of Karbala from the main checkpoints are required to submit written pledges approved by the Karbala Police Command, accompanied by the original identities issued by the Rituals Department, to ensure smooth entry and organisation."
Regarding the medical processions, Al-Tarfi pointed out that "the Al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine held a conference on this matter in coordination with the Ministry of Health, and no medical procession is granted approval to participate unless it obtains official approvals from the Karbala Governorate and the Ministry of Health's operations, according to the regulations and instructions issued by them."
Recommendations for the owners of the processions participating in the pilgrimage
The department issued a series of recommendations for the owners of the Hussaini processions participating in providing services to the Arbaeen pilgrims; with the aim of organising the work of the processions and offering the best means of comfort to the visitors.
And among the most prominent of these recommendations:
-We recommend that the owners of the processions place two fire extinguishers in each procession, husseiniya, and tent, and avoid building with sandwich panels.
-We hope that the processions do not take to the main street and disturb the flow of pedestrians and vehicles.
-Not accommodating those wanted by the judiciary, whether they are part of the entourage or visitors.
-It is advisable for procession organisers to inform the security forces and the procession department about any suspicious case.
-Choosing the well-known modes in the Hussaini heritage and avoiding the light melodies with a musical character.
-Using suitable small audio carts.
And there are many other recommendations and instructions that the department has outlined.
Organising the work of volunteer organisations
The Department of Caring for the Holy Courtyard at the Sacred Shrine is responsible for organising the work of the volunteer groups participating in supporting the plan for the million-visitor pilgrimage.
The assistant head of the department, Mr. Zain Al-Abidin Al-Quraishi, said: "The number of volunteer organisations participating this year is 13, including organisational and service-oriented organisations." He added that "the organisational organisations have over 15 years of experience in managing the movement of visitors within the holy courtyard and the basements, while the service-oriented organisations are responsible for providing cleaning services, distributing water, and distributing Ziyarat books and prayers."
Al-Quraishi explained that "200 volunteers have been assigned to provide their services inside the courtyard of Umm al-Baneen (peace be upon her) during the blessed pilgrimage, as part of a plan aimed at creating an ideal service and organisational atmosphere for the visitors."
Opening locations for visitor lockers
The Service Affairs Department at the Al-Abbas'a (p)Holy Shrine has opened three new locations for receiving visitors' bags and belongings, as part of its preparations for the Ziyarat Arbaeen of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him).
The head of the department's trust department, Mr. Muhammad Ahmed, pointed out that "the department has opened three new locations dedicated to receiving visitors' bags and valuables in conjunction with the upcoming Arbaeen pilgrimage of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him), as part of the preparations to provide the best services to the visitors arriving in Karbala."
He also said: "The capacity of each site reaches five thousand bags, which significantly contributes to alleviating congestion and facilitating the movement of visitors, while ensuring the safe and organised storage of their belongings in a manner that matches the expected millions of visitors during this blessed Ziyarat."
Ahmed explained that "the sites were distributed at the Bab al-Qibla for the courtyard of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him), and the courtyard of Umm al-Baneen (peace be upon her) from the direction of Bab al-Jawad (peace be upon him), in addition to Al-Alqami Street; with the aim of ensuring the smooth flow of work."
Designating locations for transport carts for people with disabilities and children
The Service Affairs Department has designated five main locations to provide the service of delivering wheelchairs for people with special needs and collecting children's strollers, with the aim of facilitating their movement during the Arbaeen pilgrimage.
One of the staff members of the department's trust department, Mr. Hussein Ali, said: "The department has allocated five field sites to deliver carts to people with special needs and to collect children's carts to facilitate their needs during the blessed Arbaeen pilgrimage."
He added that the sites included in the service are the Qibla Gate of the shrine of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him), the Imam Musa al-Kadhem Gate (peace be upon him), Al-Alqami Street, the Imam Ali al-Hadi Gate (peace be upon him), and the Baghdad Gate.
He explained that each site was equipped with 60 carts dedicated to serving visitors, aiming to facilitate their movement and ensure smooth transportation during the massive crowds that the million-visitor events witness.
Installation of wooden partitions and installation of the iron bridge
The Department of Industries and Artistic Crafts is installing wooden barriers near the left hand shrine of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him), at the entrances of the holy shrine and its surroundings to organise the movement of visitors during the Ziyarat Arbaeen of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him).
The work also included the Imam Al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his holy reappearance) gate leading to the courtyard of the shrine of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him); to organise the movement of visitors, determine their inbound and outbound paths, and separate women from men.
The department also worked on installing an iron bridge in the area between the two holy shrines to facilitate the movement of visitors, which will be designated with two lanes, for going and returning; in order to help accommodate the millions of people coming to the holy city of Karbala.
Transforming electric carts into specialised ones
The Department of the Two Holy Shrines at the Al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine has begun repurposing some electric carts for specialised tasks to meet field needs in preparation for the Arbaeen pilgrimage.
Mr. Diaa Abbas Ameen from the department said: "These vehicles are used to transport food to the Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him) host restaurant, and some of them are converted into ambulances to transport emergency medical cases and the injured; due to the large crowds in the old city and its surrounding areas, the tasks of the vehicles vary between regular transportation and logistical and health services according to the requirements of each occasion."
The staff of the Between the Two Holy Shrines Department at the Al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine provide transportation services for visitors to the shrines of Imam al-Hussayn and his brother Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon them) using environmentally friendly electric vehicles. These vehicles are distributed at various points in the entrances of the old city of Karbala, including: Bab al-Qibla, Bab Baghdad, Al-Hawra Street (peace be upon her), Al-Alqami Street, the Moon Point, and the Maqam of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his holy reappearance).
Cleaning the holy courtyard and its surroundings
The departments of the Holy Shrine and service affairs oversee the washing and cleaning of the courtyard of the shrine of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him) and its surroundings, to ensure the place appears in a manner befitting its sanctity.
The staff of the Service Affairs Department are conducting periodic cleaning and washing operations around the holy shrine and the street leading to the holy sanctuary and its connected areas. The tasks include removing the red carpets and washing the floors, using a number of specialised vehicles for this purpose.
On their part, the staff of the Holy Shrine Care Department work on washing the holy shrine and its holy courtyard periodically according to a pre-prepared schedule, with the aim of providing the best services to the visitors.
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