More than 21 million Shia Muslims took part in the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq this year, marking the 40th day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and a founding figure in Shia Islam.
The event peaked on Sunday, with attendees displaying their support for Gaza.
list 1 of 4
French police arrest man suspected of fire attack on synagogue
list 2 of 4
What’s the big mystery behind the Shroud of Turin?
list 3 of 4
Ukraine adopts ‘historic’ law to ban Moscow-linked Orthodox Church
list 4 of 4
Kurram clashes: How a Pakistani land dispute led to a deadly tribal battle
end of list
Arbaeen, which means 40 in Arabic, is one of the world’s biggest religious gatherings and a major event for Shia Muslims, who are the majority in Iraq and Iran.
Shia Muslim devotees gather between the shrines of Imam Abu Al-Fadl Al-Abbas (background) and Imam Hussein (not pictured) in Iraq’s central holy city of Karbala [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP]
Karbala, where Hussein and his brother Abbas are buried in two enormous mausoleums facing each other, is the centre of the Shia world during this time.
Pilgrims freely express their suffering, weeping and wailing in memory of Hussein, who was killed in 680 during a battle in Karbala with the Umayyad caliph Yazid.
This year, the events have included prominent displays of Palestinian flags by pilgrims amid the war in Gaza.
“The total number of Arbaeen pilgrims… reached 21,480,525,” the institution that manages the Abbas mausoleum and is responsible for the count said.
Among them were about 3.5 million Iranian pilgrims, according to official figures reported in Tehran.
Shia Muslims show their support for Gaza as they gather in the holy shrine city for the Arbaeen commemorations [Mohammed Sawaf/AFP]
Mohammed al-Tamimi, a 32-year-old pilgrim, told the AFP news agency that the Palestinian flags waving among the pilgrims were “in support of our brothers in Palestine and in response to the Zionists, saying that Muslims stand as one against the Zionist actions and against the crimes taking place in Gaza”.
Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October. An estimated 1,139 people were killed during a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7.
The Arbaeen celebrations, which always take place amid tight security, drew about 22 million pilgrims last year, according to official figures. Iran provided the most foreign visitors, with 4 million.
Related News
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 911
What are swing states, and why are they critical? What to know in 500 words
‘Enormous destruction’ in Jenin as Israel’s siege cuts off water, power
