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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Pilgrims walk around 600 kilometers from al-Faw, located south of Umm Qasr, Iraq’s main seaport, to Karbala ahead of the Shiite Muslim commemoration of Arbaeen.
Each year, pilgrims gather in large numbers to Kabarla and Najaf ahead of Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day after Ashura, commemorating the killing of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein. The mourning of the Imam’s death is one of the most important rituals in Shiite Islam.
The Arbaeen walk begins in Ras al-Bishah, near Iraq’s southern borders with Iran and Kuwait, through the Gulf waters.
The journey ends in Karbala where the shrine of Imam Hussein is located.
“We set out from the farthest place around the sea towards Karbala, we will never give up walking, and we will remain on the path of Imam Hussein,” Buhan Adi, a Shiite pilgrim, told Rudaw’s Anmar Ghazi on Tuesday.
Jaafar al-Assadi and his wife are present every year in al-Faw to provide pilgrims with food and beverages as they embark on their procession.
"We are here to provide whatever food and drink we have for now, and we are servants of Abu Abdullah Al-Hussein,” Assadi said.
Abdul Amir al-Shammari, the Iraqi Minister of Interior, held a meeting with police chiefs in Diwaniyah, Babel, and Najaf provinces, emphasizing the importance of security throughout the procession.
The annual pilgrimage usually sees millions of Shiite Muslim worshippers from across the world, with the vast majority being Iraqis and Iranians.
Iranian media has projected that three to five million Iranian pilgrims will travel to Karbala this year.
Each year, pilgrims gather in large numbers to Kabarla and Najaf ahead of Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day after Ashura, commemorating the killing of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein. The mourning of the Imam’s death is one of the most important rituals in Shiite Islam.
The Arbaeen walk begins in Ras al-Bishah, near Iraq’s southern borders with Iran and Kuwait, through the Gulf waters.
The journey ends in Karbala where the shrine of Imam Hussein is located.
“We set out from the farthest place around the sea towards Karbala, we will never give up walking, and we will remain on the path of Imam Hussein,” Buhan Adi, a Shiite pilgrim, told Rudaw’s Anmar Ghazi on Tuesday.
Jaafar al-Assadi and his wife are present every year in al-Faw to provide pilgrims with food and beverages as they embark on their procession.
"We are here to provide whatever food and drink we have for now, and we are servants of Abu Abdullah Al-Hussein,” Assadi said.
Abdul Amir al-Shammari, the Iraqi Minister of Interior, held a meeting with police chiefs in Diwaniyah, Babel, and Najaf provinces, emphasizing the importance of security throughout the procession.
The annual pilgrimage usually sees millions of Shiite Muslim worshippers from across the world, with the vast majority being Iraqis and Iranians.
Iranian media has projected that three to five million Iranian pilgrims will travel to Karbala this year.
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