Najaf- Millions of Muslims from across the world have converged in the holy Iraqi city of Karbala to mark Arba’een, the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Imam and the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
They moved toward Karbala on foot from different directions and descended upon the shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) to commemorate the event.
Along the routes, thousands of Moukebs, or volunteer service stations, offer free food, water, medical care, and rest to pilgrims.
The Arbaeen march is one of the largest annual religious congregations in the world, where the participants pay tribute to martyred imam, who is the all-time icon of fighting injustice, oppression, and despotism.
Imam Hussein (AS) and his 72 companions were martyred in the Battle of Karbala in southern Iraq in 680 AD while resisting the much larger army of the despot Umayyad ruler of the time, Yazid.
An estimated 25 million pilgrims are expected to attend the Arbaeen ceremonies in the Iraqi city of Karbala, the governor of the holy city announced.
Qassim al-Yassari made the remarks to al-Alam news network on Wednesday.
The official highlighted the province’s extraordinary preparations, saying the expected figure was up from the roughly-22-million-strong pilgrims, who visited the city for last year’s ceremonies.
He said the city began welcoming a steadily increasing number of pilgrims for the occasion since 2003, when it officially began hosting the events following the fall of the Arab country’s former dictatorial regime.
Al-Yassari emphasized the comprehensive nature of preparations across infrastructural sectors, including transportation, municipal services, electricity, water, and security.
“These preparations are being implemented synergistically in all these areas,” he said.
The official credited the success of the recent years to “the experience of the past ones and [contributions made by] our specialists in various provincial departments, especially managers, employees, and executive cadres.”
On transportation, he reported progress in developing and reconstructing main roads from Karbala to the capital Baghdad, the city of Babil, and the holy city of Najaf, and constructing many major squares facilitating pilgrim transit.
Al-Yassari noted that public and private transport systems were fully operational, with private fleets transferring pilgrims between provinces and public fleets working under official oversight.
“In the Babil corridor, the Karbala Province has rented 400 buses to transport pilgrims,” he said, adding that the Iraqi ministry of transport was responsible for the Baghdad route, while the country’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Authority oversaw the Najaf route.
He further underlined the province’s enlistment of proper and efficient municipal services so it can manage relevant operations throughout Araba’een’s 15-day period.
According to al-Yassari, emergency water tanks have, meanwhile, been installed in all areas to ensure uninterrupted supply.
On electricity needs throughout the period, he stated that “with support from the country’s prime minister and the minister of electricity, a bottleneck relief plan with 11 projects was implemented, 80% of which are now operational.”
Monumental crowds from across the globe converge on Karbala each year during Arbaeen.
Countless mourners set out on foot, making the solemn journey to honor what has become one of the world’s largest recurring Muslim pilgrimages.
In 680 AD, in the plains of southern Iraq, where the city is currently situated, Imam Hussein (AS) and a 72-strong group of his loyal companions were martyred in a historic, heart-wrenching, and heavily lopsided battle.
They stood their ground with unwavering resolve, confronting the overwhelming forces of Umayyad tyrant Yazid I in a fight for justice that would echo through centuries.
