TEHRAN -- Every year, millions of pilgrims pass through Mehran on their journey toward Karbala. Some move quickly toward the border, while others pause along the way to rest, share a meal or take a moment from their long journey. 
Amid this immense movement of people, another quieter story unfolds: the story of local artisans, handmade products and a community seeking to share a part of its identity with those who pass through its land.
For Mehran, Arbaeen is not simply a season marked by crowded roads, buses and border crossings. It is also a time when the city becomes a place of cultural exchange — where local traditions, crafts and products meet visitors from across Iran and beyond.
Near the border terminal, transport areas and service points, temporary marketplaces appear alongside the pilgrimage route. Behind each stall is a person, a family and a story.
A woman carefully places her handmade creations on a table. A local producer presents goods shaped by the traditions of Ilam province. A vendor watches the passing pilgrims, hoping that one of them will stop and discover something that represents the region.
These small scenes may seem modest compared with the scale of Arbaeen, but each stall represents more than a place of trade. It is a window into local culture — a space where the skills, creativity and traditions of the people of Mehran become visible to millions of visitors.
The movement of pilgrims through Mehran creates a unique opportunity for local products to travel beyond their place of origin.
Handicrafts, traditional goods and locally produced data-x-items do not leave the region as ordinary objects. They carry with them the name of their makers, the identity of their communities and the memory of the places where they were created.
A small handmade product purchased along the Arbaeen route may later become a reminder of Mehran and Ilam in another city. It may introduce a new audience to a local craft or become the beginning of a lasting connection between a producer and a customer.
In this way, the marketplaces of Arbaeen can become more than temporary spaces. With careful planning, they can serve as platforms for introducing local artists, craftspeople and producers, allowing regional traditions to reach wider audiences.
For many local vendors, the days
 of Arbaeen represent a special moment in the year.
The crowds that pass through Mehran during the pilgrimage season bring together people who might otherwise take weeks or months to reach the city. But beyond the numbers, there are individual encounters — a conversation between a visitor and a seller, a handmade object exchanged between strangers, and a cultural connection created in a brief moment.
The success of these encounters depends on more than the presence of visitors. Products must reflect quality, stalls must be accessible, and local producers must have opportunities to present their work properly.
That is why organizing marketplaces along the pilgrimage route has become an important part of supporting both visitors and local communities.
This year, around 200 local vendors and sellers from Ilam province, particularly from Mehran, have been organized in designated locations to participate in the Arbaeen season.
Officials have also announced plans for 180 stalls at entrances to pilgrimage routes and provincial marketplaces, along with 120 handicraft stalls at key entry points and busy routes.
At Mehran’s Arbaeen Square and Shahid Raisi (Barakat) International Terminal, 180 temporary sales spaces have been allocated for vendors.
Behind every number is an individual: a craftsman, a producer or a family hoping that their work will find appreciation among the millions who pass through the city.
The deeper significance of these spaces lies in what happens after the pilgrimage season ends.
A product purchased during Arbaeen can continue its journey long after the pilgrim leaves Mehran. A handicraft, a local food product or a regional item can carry the story of its creator to another city.
But for this connection to continue, local producers need more than a few days of opportunity. They need ways to introduce their work, maintain contact with customers, improve packaging, develop online sales and build permanent markets.
The temporary marketplace can become the beginning of a larger cultural network — one in which local creativity continues to reach new audiences throughout the year.
Organizing vendors also shapes the experience of the pilgrimage itself.
When sellers are placed in designated areas, pilgrims can move more easily, shopping becomes more accessible, and local products can be presented in a more organized way.
For vendors, this structure provides security and stability. They know where they will present their work and can better prepare the products they have spent time and resources creating.
In this way, managing Arbaeen is not only about organizing movement. It is also about creating opportunities for cultural expression.
For years, the movement of pilgrims through Mehran has been measured in millions. But behind every journey is a human connection.
A pilgrim who stops for a local product, speaks with a vendor or carries a handmade item home is taking away more than a purchase. They are carrying a fragment of a place and its people.
The true impact of Arbaeen on Mehran is measured not only by the number of people who pass through the city, but also by the stories, traditions and relationships that remain after they leave.
Pilgrims continue their journey toward Karbala, but the people of Mehran remain. Their hope is that the cultural richness created during these days will continue beyond the pilgrimage season.
A handmade object, a local product or a traditional craft leaving Mehran can become a lasting reminder of the region and the people who created it.
Perhaps the greatest meaning of these marketplaces is found in this exchange: among the millions of footsteps passing through Mehran, a part of the city’s culture, creativity and identity also travels onward.