AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): An official predicted that the number of Iranians taking part in the annual Arbaeen march will be around 4.5 million.
Seyed Majid Mirahmadi, head of the Arbaeen Central Headquarters, said that so far there has been a 15-percent rise in the number of those signing up for the annual pilgrimage this year compared to last year.
“We estimate that 4.5 million Iranians will travel to Iraq this year (for Arbaeen),” he stated.
Mirahmadi also referred to preparations for facilitating the pilgrimage and said 19 committees in the headquarters have held numerous sessions to discuss efforts to best serve the pilgrims.
There have also been meetings with Iraqi officials for better coordination, he noted.
The operation for organizing the Arbaeen pilgrimage officially began in a ceremony on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, with the motto “Karbala, Path of Al-Quds”.
Arbaeen is a religious event that is observed by Shia Muslims on the fortieth day after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the 40th day of martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the third Shia imam, who was killed by the army of Yazid I in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Arbaeen is also known as the Ziyarat of Arbaeen, which means the visitation of Imam Hussein’s (AS) shrine in Karbala, Iraq, where his body is buried. Ziyarat is an act of pilgrimage and devotion in Shia Islam.
Arbaeen is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world, with millions of Shia Muslims from different countries walking to Karbala from various cities in Iraq and neighboring countries. The distance can range from 80 km to 500 km or more, depending on the starting point.
This year’s Arbaeen falls on August 25.
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