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Iranian pilgrims flood Iraq for Arba’een pilgrimage
Under a blazing sun, clad in black and clutching portraits of their martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iranian pilgrims streamed across the border into Iraq to observe the Arba’een.
Arba’een, which means forty in Arabic, marks the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the third Shia imam and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Amir, a 55-year-old pick-up driver, has been attending the Arba’een ceremonies in Iraq for years, but said that this time is different.
"The difference is that we are at war. Now, the United States is attacking us... yet this crowd that you see has left everything behind" to attend, the father-of-three added, at Iraq's Al-Zurbatiyah border crossing.
It is one of the world's largest religious gatherings, with millions flocking each year to Iraq to visit the city of Karbala, where Imam Hussein is buried.
This year's pilgrimage comes amid an aggression launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28, which has not left Iraq unscathed.
Pilgrim Fatemeh Moradi, 52, has been to the Arba’een at least five times before, but said that this year is for "our martyred Leader, on his behalf and on the behalf of all the martyrs".
Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated by the US and Israel on the first day of their aggression against Iran on February 28.
Moradi lost many relatives during the war, but for her "martyrdom is a sense of pride".
At the Zurbatiyah crossing, large fans sprayed mist to cool the heat as pilgrims passed portraits of Khamenei, his son and successor Mojtaba, and other slain commanders from "axis of resistance."
Iraqis greeted them with gifts of drinks and food, continuing the tradition of offering refreshments to pilgrims.
Iraqi authorities said Friday that so far around 3.5 million foreign pilgrims have entered Iraq to attend the Arba’een.
Each year, pilgrims from different countries travel on foot to get to Imam Hussein’s holy shrine, in the Iraqi city of Karbala, to commemorate the event, which falls on Tuesday this year.
The third Shia Imam 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.