Shafaq News- Baghdad
4,059,978 pilgrimsarrived in Baghdad’s Al-Kadhimiya district by noon on Sunday to commemorate thedeath anniversary of Imam Mohammed Al-Jawad, the ninth Imam in Shiite Islam,Iraq’s security authorities stated.
According toAl-Kadhimain Holy Shrine figures, over 200,000 meals were distributed, and morethan 3,150 volunteers were deployed to support the annual pilgrimage. Theshrine stated that more than 570 religious processions participated inproviding food, shelter, and mourning services, while over 100 transportvehicles and direct shuttle lines were allocated for visitors.
Speaking at a pressconference, Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for Iraq’s committee overseeing majorpilgrimage security operations, confirmed the success of the security andservice plans for the annual pilgrimage, noting that one of the key features ofthis year’s plan was declaring Al-Kadhimiya a “weapons-free city.”
Authorities recordedno significant security breaches, traffic accidents, or fires during thecommemoration, he stated.
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Last year, the ImamMohammed Al-Jawad holy shrine administration recorded the arrival of 4,734,772visitors during the annual pilgrimage. Al-Kadhimiya is home to the shrines ofImam Musa Al-Kadhim and Imam Mohammed Al-Jawad, two of the most revered figuresin Twelver Shiite Islam.
Iraq is home to someof Islam’s religious sites, especially for Shiite Muslims, attracting millionsof local and foreign pilgrims annually to holy cities including Najaf, home tothe shrine of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Karbala, where Imam Hussein ibn Aliis buried.
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