Shafaq News- Basra
From Ras Al-Bisha, Iraq's southernmost point on the Arabian Gulf, thousands of pilgrims begin each year a roughly 615-kilometer (382-mile) journey on foot to Karbala for Arbaeen, the annual commemoration marking 40 days after the killing of Imam Hussein, one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam.
The walk, which takes more than 20 days, is part of one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings. Many pilgrims choose to start from Ras Al-Bisha because it is Iraq's southernmost point, making it the country's longest domestic route to Karbala.
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Ahead of the pilgrimage, volunteers in Basra's Al-Faw district set up roadside service camps offering free meals, drinking water, accommodation and medical assistance before pilgrims begin their journey through Basra, Dhi Qar, Muthanna, Diwaniyah and Babil provinces.
Preparations begin days before the pilgrims arrive, Hussein Al-Mousawi, who runs one of the volunteer camps, told Shafaq News. "Residents of Al-Faw, Basra and volunteers from other provinces work together to provide food, water, rest areas and assistance around the clock," he said. Pilgrims from across Iraq, as well as visitors from Arab and other Muslim countries, join the procession as it moves north toward Karbala, he added.
For Abu Abbas, who has made the journey several times, setting out from Ras Al-Bisha has become an annual tradition. "Beginning from Iraq's southernmost point gives the journey a different meaning and makes it more challenging," he said.
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