Authorities deploy extensive security and logistical measures for one of the world’s largest religious pilgrimages.
On Tuesday, more than 20 million pilgrims from the Shiite branch of Islam, the majority sect in Iraq and Iran, are commemorating Arbaeen, a celebration held in the Iraqi city of Karbala.
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The celebration marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in A.D. 680 after refusing to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad Caliph Yazid.
So far, authorities have announced that more than 4.8 million visitors have entered Iraq for the pilgrimage and that arrivals continue from several countries, especially Iran.
“This rite is a demonstration of the unity between the peoples of Iran and Iraq,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said before departing on Monday from the city of Najaf for Karbala.
Imam Husayn shrine in Karbala, Iraq, on the day of Arbaeen, the largest annual public gathering on earth.
*Arbaeen serves as an annual renewal of the pledge to oppose modern and historical tyrants, turning the memory of Karbala into a permanent blueprint for resistance against… pic.twitter.com/p80TBJbxv9
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) August 4, 2026
A key part of the organization is carried out by the Supreme Committee for the Visits of Millions of People, while security forces and other agencies supervised by Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al Zaidi are responsible for ensuring that no incidents occur during the event.
Authorities have provided millions of liters of water to pilgrims and have intervened in the power grid to guarantee a continuous electricity supply in Karbala, as Iraq suffers from constant power outages.
During the Arbaeen pilgrimage, worshippers stage reenactments of the battle in which Imam Hussein died in Karbala, where his mausoleum is located.
To express their grief over his martyrdom, pilgrims beat and strike their chests and faces. Most of them wear black, and some even strike their heads with sharp instruments until they bleed in a ritual known as “tatbir.”
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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