Karbala: An estimated 14 million Shiite pilgrims thronged Iraq’s holy city of Karbala on Friday to mark the annual Arbaeen commemoration.
Arbaeen is one of the biggest religious events on earth and marks the end of the 40-day mourning period for the 7th-century killing of Imam Hussain by the forces of the Caliph Yazid—a formative event in Shiite Islam.
Under tight security, around 14 million worshippers crowded into the golden-domed mausoleum where the Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) grandson is buried, Karbala’s religious authorities said, beating their chests in unison against a background of religious music.
Tens of thousands of security personnel and Shiite militiamen were deployed, as in past years, around the perimetres of the sanctuary as well as on all roads leading to Karbala, about 80 kilometres outhwest of Baghdad.
Shiites make up some 60 per cent of Iraq’s population and ahead of the peak of the commemorations local governor Aqil Tourihi told AFP that over 10 million Iraqis had arrived.
More than two million Iranian pilgrims also crossed the border into Iraq for Arbaeen, an Iranian official said.
“The conditions are perfect, above all in terms of catering for pilgrims and security,” Kuwaiti pilgrim Fadel Yaqoub told AFP.
The overall attendance appeared down on the roughly 17 to 20 million people estimated to have attended Arbaeen in 2016.
Helicopters flew overhead to ensure security in the city.
Bandar Al Hamami said he had walked some 350 kilometres with his family from their home in the southern city of Nasiriyah.
