AhlulBayt News Agency: The annual Arbaeen pilgrimage, one of the most monumental religious congregations throughout the world, has this year attracted more than 21.1 million Muslim devotees to Iraq’s holy city of Karbala.
The General Secretariat of the Holy Shrine of Abbas ibn Ali (AS), half-brother of the Third Shia Imam, Imam Hussain (AS), announced the figure on Friday, offering the exact count as 21,103,524.
The occasion marks the 40th day since the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and his loyal companions.
Every year, pilgrims descend on Karbala from all over the world to mark the occasion, which bears remarkable significance among them as witnessed by their taking long journeys on foot towards the city out of religious zeal and spiritual dedication.
For over 13 centuries, the city has been the spiritual epicenter for the faithful, drawing the monumental crowds to commemorate the sacrifice and legacy of Imam Hussain (AS), reverently remembered as the Master of Martyrs.
For this year, the Holy Shrine employed a cutting-edge electronic counting system, powered by artificial intelligence, to accurately track pilgrims as they passed through the city’s main entrances.
The system monitored the flow of visitors arriving via five primary routes, including those leading out of the holy city of Najaf and the capital Baghdad.
Beyond counting visitors, the teams tasked by the authorities managing the Shrine’s affairs provided extensive services encompassing medical assistance and hospitality.
As in previous years, this year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage stood as, what observers and experts hailed as, a powerful reminder of the resilience, devotion, and unity of the faithful to honor the sacrifices made by Imam Hussain (AS) and his companions.
The historic sacrifices saw the religious icon and his 72-strong companions brave the tyrant of the time, Yazid ibn Muawiyah, and his forces, ultimately meeting martyrdom in a battle that has echoed through centuries.
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