ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Nearly 4.5 million foreign pilgrims from more than 170 countries have arrived in Iraq to participate in Arbaeen mourning ceremonies, a security official said on Saturday, as Iraqi law enforcement agencies tighten security measures.
Saad Maan, head of the Iraqi Security Media Cell, told Rudaw’s Gashaw Khalid that "4,435,492 foreign pilgrims from 172 countries have entered Iraq so far."
With the event set to take place on Tuesday, the number of visitors is expected to rise.
Arbaeen marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.
Millions of religious visitors from Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, and Kuwait, among other countries, will embark on a nearly 80-kilometer journey on foot from Najaf to Karbala in southern Iraq.
Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Mohammed al-Hasuon said strict security measures have been implemented and will remain in place throughout the ceremony.
"To reduce reliance on manpower, smart surveillance cameras, a unified control room, and a traffic density analysis system are being utilized,” he noted.
Meanwhile, authorities at the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussein said that more than 2,500 surveillance cameras have been deployed in the area.
Nearly 7,000 Shiite pilgrims have also crossed through the Haji Omeran border crossing northeast of Erbil over the past 15 days.
“We came from Tehran. This is our third time coming. My wife and I agreed to travel for the pilgrimage to Karbala and Najaf. The reception has been very good. We chose Tamarchin [crossing border from Iran] because of its pleasant weather,” Raza Shaisehpour, a pilgrim, told Rudaw's Andam Jabar after entering the Kurdistan Region.
“God willing, peace will prevail and prosperity will return. I ask our leaders to support the people and for the war to end,” Marhamat Mojarloo, another pilgrim, said, referring to the ongoing war between her country and the US.
Around 200,000 pilgrims crossed through the Haji Omeran and Bashmakh border crossings in 2024.
The number using the route dropped to 100,000 last year, a decline that came shortly after the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran in June last year.
Kurdish authorities provide free transportation, drinking water, food, cooling stations, and ambulance services from the border crossings to departure points for Karbala. Additional passport control stations have also been established to speed up processing.
