Iraq’s central holy shrine city of Karbala is packed with pilgrims from Iraq and all around the world as it prepares to mark the holy Shiite Muslim commemoration of Arbaeen, remembering the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, Imam Hussein. 

A Rudaw team is in Karbala to document Arbaeen – a Shiite ritual marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the death of the Shiite leader and grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, Imam Hussein, in 680 AD.

The number of pilgrims flocking to Iraq for the Arbaeen pilgrimage is increasing yearly, with many opting to enter the country from Iran through the Kurdistan Region’s borders. According to Karbala statistics, more than 21 million pilgrims have visited Karbala since the beginning of Ashura. 

Arbaeen is marked 40 days after the Shiite commemoration of Imam Hussein’s death, also known as Ashura.

“It is my first time visiting Iraq and Imam Hussein. I am very happy. I do not know If this is a dream or reality. I have been here for three days and have decided to come back every year,” Elaha Amiri, an Iranian girl on pilgrimage to Iraq, told Rudaw.

“I did not know the people here are so kind. A sip of water costs money all over the world, but I have been here for three days and food, drink, and even accommodation have been free,” she added. 

The mourning of the Imam’s death is one of the most important rituals in Shiite Islam.