This year, over 21 million Shia Muslims participated in the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq, commemorating the 40th day after Imam Hussein’s martyrdom. Imam Hussein, a central figure in Shia Islam and the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, died in 680 during a confrontation in Karbala.
The pilgrimage culminated on Sunday, highlighted by significant support for Gaza among the attendees. Arbaeen, meaning ‘forty’ in Arabic, stands as one of the largest religious gatherings globally, primarily observed by the Shia majority in Iraq and Iran.
During this event, pilgrims gather at Karbala, where Hussein and his brother Abbas are interred in facing mausoleums, forming the spiritual heart of the Shia community. The pilgrims openly manifest their grief, often weeping and lamenting Hussein’s death.
This year’s pilgrimage featured notable displays of Palestinian flags, especially significant amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The institution managing the Abbas mausoleum, responsible for the headcount, reported a total of 21,480,525 pilgrims, with approximately 3.5 million from Iran as per official records from Tehran.
Mohammed al-Tamimi, a 32-year-old pilgrim, explained to the AFP that the presence of Palestinian flags was a gesture of solidarity “in support of our brothers in Palestine and against the Zionist actions and the atrocities in Gaza.”
The violence has escalated, with over 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza reported killed since last October, following an attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in approximately 1,139 deaths.
Last year, the Arbaeen celebrations, always conducted under stringent security, drew around 22 million pilgrims, with Iran contributing the highest number of foreign visitors, around 4 million.
