Two million Iranian pilgrims head into Iraq for Arbaeen

At the border town of Mehran between Iran and Iraq, a sea of pilgrims surges forward, en route to one of the biggest religious pilgrimages on the planet.

At the border town of Mehran between Iran and Iraq, a sea of pilgrims surges forward, en route to one of the biggest religious pilgrimages on the planet.

Iranian organizers say more than 1.8 million Iraqi visas have been issued for Iranians this year for the Arbaeen pilgrimage which culminates on Tuesday as the devout head, many by foot, to Karbala and one of the holiest sites of Shia Islam, the shrine of Imam Hussein.

Men and women, young and old, toddlers in strollers and elderly pushed in wheelchairs – they converge from all over the Iran to show their love for Imam Hussein.