Shafaq News- Tehran
More than 1.3 million people have registered through Iran's Samah online system to participate in the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage to Iraq, an Iranian official disclosed on Wednesday.
In a statement, Interior Ministry spokesperson Zaini Vand noted that security, service, and transportation arrangements had been completed to facilitate pilgrims' travel, adding that Iran was coordinating with neighboring countries as part of preparations for the pilgrimage.
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As preparations continued on both sides of the border, Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's government allocated 52.5 billion Iraqi dinars ($34.1M) to agencies involved in organizing the pilgrimage and to the holy shrines. It has also leased 2,400 buses, in addition to deploying state-owned vehicles, to transport pilgrims.
Iraq activated its Arbaeen security plan on July 20, as religious service tents (mawakib) began operating along routes leading to the holy city of Karbala.
Arbaeen marks the 40th day of mourning after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and draws millions of Shiite pilgrims to Karbala each year, making it one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world.
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