Citizens of Pakistan, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Yemen will be granted entry visas to visit Iraq and partake in Arbaeen “for free and through any Iraqi mission,” foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahaf said.
Arbaeen marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the death of the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, Imam Hussein, in a battle fought in the Iraqi city of Karbala in 680 AD.
The day sees millions of Shiite Muslims from across the world including Lebanon, Turkey, Kuwait, and especially Iraq’s Shiite-majority neighbor Iran, journey to the Shiite holy city of Karbala on a symbolic 80-kilometer walk that begins from the city of Najaf. It is customary to dress in black as they mark through the streets of the city, often self-flagellating with chains and wood.
The Arbaeen walk begins in Ras al-Bishah, near Iraq’s southern borders with Iran and Kuwait, through the Gulf waters. It ends in Karbala where the shrine of Imam Hussein is located.
The mourning of the Imam’s death is one of the most important rituals in Shiite Islam.
