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News ID: 152499
Publish Date : 05 August 2026 - 22:42
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On the Road to Karbala, Faith and Memory Walk Together

TEHRAN -- Every year, the roads leading to Karbala become more than routes of pilgrimage. They become places where faith, memory and human connection converge as millions of Muslims journey on foot to commemorate Arbaeen, the fortieth day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS). 
This year, Iranian pilgrims returning from Iraq say another layer of remembrance accompanied them along the sacred path: public expressions of respect by many Iraqis for the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
For the pilgrims, the experience was not defined by a single ceremony or gathering but by countless moments encountered along the roads connecting Najaf and Karbala. Portraits displayed at mawakib (pilgrim service camps), homes, shops and public spaces, often alongside the Iranian flag, became part of the visual landscape of the pilgrimage, they said.
The observations, shared by pilgrims returning through the Mehran border crossing, reflect how Arbaeen continues to serve not only as one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings but also as a meeting place for communities linked by shared religious traditions, historical memory and longstanding cultural ties.
Ebrahim Etemadi was among those who noticed the displays.
“In many places we passed, portraits of the martyred Leader had been placed on houses, at mawakib and in public areas,” he said. “The Iranian flag was often displayed beside them, and Iraqi hosts welcomed pilgrims with warmth wherever we stopped.”
Such encounters, pilgrims say, extended beyond visual symbols. Conversations with Iraqi hosts frequently turned to recent events in Iran, the martyrdom of the Leader and the close relationship many Iraqis feel with their Iranian neighbors.
Noureddin Moradi said hospitality remained the defining characteristic of the journey, describing Iraqi volunteers who repeatedly invited pilgrims to stop for meals, tea or rest.
“People welcomed us with genuine kindness,” he said. “In many places we also saw portraits of the Leader alongside images of figures associated with the Islamic Revolution and the resistance movement.”
For those making the journey, the hospitality offered by Iraqi families and volunteers remains one of Arbaeen’s most enduring traditions. Every year, tens of thousands of mawakib line the pilgrimage routes, providing food, water, accommodation and medical assistance free of charge. 

For many Iraqis, serving the visitors of Imam Hussein (AS) is regarded as both an act of worship and a lifelong honor.
Seyyed Ali Ibn Muhammad, a veteran mawkib organiser in Karbala, said the bonds formed during Arbaeen extend well beyond national borders.
“Serving pilgrims is something we consider a privilege,” he said. “Many Iraqis were deeply affected by the martyrdom of the Leader and expressed their sympathy with the Iranian people. Many continue to remember him with affection and respect.”
Mahmoud Muhammadzadeh, another pilgrim returning to Iran, said Iraqis he met closely followed developments in Iran and often raised the subject in everyday conversations.
“In Karbala and Najaf, people remembered him respectfully,” he said. “What stayed with me most was not only what I saw but the conversations we had with ordinary people.”
For scholars of pilgrimage, Arbaeen has long represented more than a religious observance. It is a living tradition built on service, generosity and encounters between people from different countries who share a common spiritual destination. 
Along the roads to Karbala, cultural exchange often unfolds through simple gestures—a shared meal, an invitation to rest, a conversation between strangers or the display of symbols that carry meaning for visiting pilgrims.
For many of the Iranians returning home this year, those encounters became part of their own experience of Arbaeen. They describe a journey in which rituals of remembrance were accompanied by acts of hospitality and expressions of solidarity that, in their view, reflected the deep religious and cultural connections linking the peoples of Iraq and Iran.
As millions continue to make the pilgrimage each year, the roads to Karbala remain not only pathways of devotion but also spaces where memory, identity and hospitality intersect, shaping experiences that extend far beyond the destination itself.
 
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