Holy Arbaeen Pilgrimage of Imam Hussein Unfolding Amid Generous Reception of Iraqis  

The annual Arbaeen commemoration of Imam al-Hussein’s martyrdom, peace be upon him, has witnessed a historic influx of pilgrims from around the world. According to official figures, nearly 3 million pilgrims have entered Iraq through various entry points during the 14-day period from August 6th to August 20th, while some 1 million and 330 thousand have already completed their pilgrimage and departed Iraq back to their homes.

The vast majority of these foreign pilgrims came from Iran (almost 95 percent), with Afghanistan, Pakistan and Azerbaijan among other major contributors to the largest Shia-world gathering.  

This influx was distributed almost evenly through land border crossings and main airports, namely al-Najaf al-Ashraf and Baghdad international airports.

The massive influx of devotes of the Master of the Martyrs, peace be upon him, comes amid extremely generous reception of the Iraqi community. More than 13,000 Mawakib (service units) have been mobilized in the holy city of Karbala and other provinces to provide services to the increasing number of pilgrims.

It should be mentioned that over 25 million pilgrims are expected to complete the holy Arbaeen pilgrimage this year as per official estimated.