KABALA (Dispatches) – At least 14 million people have converged on the holy city of Karbala to participate in the Arbaeen procession, its governor Nassif Jassim al-Khattabi said Monday.
This year’s Arbaeen procession is set to the biggest in recent years, he said, adding that the number of pilgrims is predicted to reach 30 million this year up from 21 million in 2022.
The Iraqi prime minister directly supervises and monitors the procession, he added.
On Sunday, the Iranian police spokesperson said 3.7 million people have travelled to the neighboring country through border crossings, and 1.7 million pilgrims have returned to Iran.
Arbaeen is a Shia religious observance that occurs forty days after the Day of Ashura. It commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was martyred on the 10th day of the month of Muharram.
Thousands of makeshift tents and special stands called Moukeb in Arabic are providing pilgrims with free services including food and accommodation along the way.
They are put up by volunteers who provide pilgrims with free-of-charge food, beverages, accommodation, medicines, etc.
Volunteer doctors also offer free health services to those who may have experienced a heat stroke, or other health conditions associated with such long walks.
According to Iraqi media reports last week, nearly 13,000 Moukebs have been set up to offer free services to the pilgrims this year.
Iranians have also erected almost 3000 Moukebs both in Iran near western and southwestern borders with Iraq and also en route to Karbala in Iraq, according to a report by Tasnim news agency.
The Moukebs provide millions of pilgrims with various services as the Arbaeen trek is the largest religious gathering of its kind, convening mostly Shia Muslims from around the world.
Shohreh Shirani, an Iranian woman from Isfahan Province, has been running a Moukeb in Iraq for eight years.
The math Ph.D. student, and the mother of two, said in an interview with IRIB that their Moukeb, better known as Moukeb Khatoun, accommodates some 1,500 pilgrims every day.
“We also bake bread every day and provide 12 other Moukebs with freshly baked bread, too,” she said.
In addition to cultural and medical services offered to the pilgrims, Moukeb Khatoun has a 24-hour childcare service for parents too.
Zahra Saeedi is another Iranian woman who has run one of the biggest female-only Moukebs near the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) for two years.
The Moukeb provides services to 2,000 women every day, Saeedi, also a Ph.D. in industrial engineering said, in an interview with Javan daily newspaper.
“This Moukeb, too, offers childcare services and lets mothers rest while we take care of their children after the long walk in the high temperatures of Karbala,” she added.
Giving away free food and drinks to millions of pilgrims, offering them free accommodation and other necessary services, and treating them kindly and equally, regardless of social class, race, color, religion, etc. are what Moukebs are doing best during this spiritual journey.
The peaceful gathering is an overwhelmingly powerful display of solidarity, amity and unity.
Participating in the trek is not compulsory for the pilgrims, but they take part in the spiritual journey to express their respect and love for the sacrifices Imam Hussein (AS) and his loyal companions made in the battle of Karbala to fight the tyrant and illegitimate ruler of the time Yazid.
The walk is keeping alive the movement of Karbala, a movement against terrorism, fascism and imperialism.