AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): As Shia Muslims are grieving the martyrdom of their third Imam during the month of Muharram, it is estimated that the number of pilgrims who visit Karbala this year has increased by more than 4 million.
As of yesterday, more than 1,800 Mawkib (voluntarily prepared stations) have been registered in Karbala.
The Mawkibs are providing the pilgrims with services during the first decade of Muharram.
In recent days, more than 200 processions have started their mourning rituals in Bayn al-Haramayn.
The said Mawkibs will offer service to pilgrims until Sunday. They will be closed for two weeks so as to be prepared for the Arbaeen pilgrimage (the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions on the 10th of Muharram).
During the Arbaeen pilgrimage, the number of Mawkibs will reach more than 10,000.
Regarding the number of pilgrims who are in Karbala today, no exact number has been released so far.
Last year, four million pilgrims visited Karbala in the first decade of Muharram. But this year, it is estimated that the number has increased in comparison to last year.
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. The tenth day of Muharram is known as Ashura. Among Shia Muslims, Ashura is observed through large demonstrations of high-scale mourning as it marks the death of Hussein ibn Ali, the third Imam of Shia, who was martyred during the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Every year, millions of Shia Muslims from around the world hold mourning ceremonies of Muharram in the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (PBUH) in Karbala City.
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