ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Tens of thousands of Iranian Shiite Muslims will embark upon their journeys to central Iraq from the Kurdistan Region’s borders to attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage in the holy city of Karbala later this month, an official told Rudaw on Wednesday.
Arbaeen marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the death of the Shiite leader and grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, Imam Hussein, in a battle fought in Karbala in 680 AD.
An estimate of 20,000 to 25,000 Shiite pilgrims have entered Erbil through Haji Omaran crossing in the past few days, the city’s governor Omed Khoshnaw said, noting that they will head to Karbala from there.
Around 2,000 to 7,000 pilgrims have traveled to Iraq’s central cities through Sulaimani’s Bashmakh crossing recently, Mariwan Karim, head of Bashmakh crossing’s media office confirmed to Rudaw.
The massive influx of pilgrims into Iraq through Kurdish borders is the first of its kind which follows an agreement signed between Erbil and Urmia last year to boost trade and facilitate travel. It also comes amid political unrest in Baghdad and other provinces, which took a deadly turn last week after bloody clashes erupted between rival factions.
Fariq Mahdi Fakiki, head of the Iraqi High Committee for Pilgrims, told Rudaw Radio that an understanding had been previously reached with Iran to facilitate the passage of the visitors, adding that they expects more comers to arrive in Iraq this year compared to previous years.
“Around 600 thousand people arrive in Iraq on a daily basis from the border crossings and airports. Until today, the number of local and foreign pilgrims combined has reached nearly 2.5 million,” he said.
Authorities in Erbil and Sulaimani say they have made all preparations to welcome the pilgrims.
Resting places have been dedicated to the comers in Haji Omaran crossing point, Soran and Erbil’s giant Sami Abdulrahman Park, Khoshnaw said, adding that they are served free drinks while resting.
For its part, the Region’s health ministry said its medical teams are prepared to respond to any emergency incidents to assure the safety of the pilgrims.
Arbaeen is marked 40 days after the Shiite commemoration of Imam Hussein's death, also known as Ashura.
The annual pilgrimage usually sees millions of Shiite Muslim worshippers from across the world, with the vast majority being Iraqis and Iranians.
Iran predicts that between 3 to 5 million Iranian pilgrims will visit Karbala this year, Iranian Press TV reported Friday.
Updated at 3:35PM with Fakiki's comments.
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