Iran Seeking to Put Arbaeen Massive March on UNESCO Heritage List

Head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) Masoud Soltanifar said the country plans to get the massive march of Shiite pilgrims on Arbaeen inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

During a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Soltanifar emphasized that in coordination with neighboring Iraq, Iran is making efforts to place the massive march staged by millions of pilgrims for Arbaeen on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as “an Islamic spiritual heritage”.

During the meeting, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also pointed to the huge influx of Iranian pilgrims to Iraq, saying that throughout the history of Islam, the followers of Ahl-ul-Bayt (the family of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)) have kept this tradition (Arbaeen ceremony) alive.

He went on to say that in recent years, the Arbaeen rites have been held with more glory and grandeur.

Arbaeen, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shiite Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).

Each year, a huge crowd of Shiites flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.

Last year, around 20 million pilgrims from all over the world gathered in Karbala to attend the mourning ceremonies marking Arbaeen.



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