The Iraqi embassy in Tehran and its consulates in three other cities as of next week will start issuing visas for Iranians wishing to take part in Arbaeen pilgrimage to the Iraqi holy city of Karbala.
Majid Aqababaei, secretary of Iran’s Arbaeen central committee, said Iraq’s consulates in the cities of Mashhad, Ahvaz and Kermanshah, along with the embassy in Tehran, will issue visas for Arbaeen.
He added that the Arab country’s consulates in 12 other Iranian cities will also join the process in the lunar month of Muharram (October).
This is based on an agreement recently reached between Iranian foreign ministry officials and Rajih Sabir Aboudi al-Mousavi, Iraq’s ambassador to Iran, he noted.
Arbaeen, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).
Each year, a huge crowd of Shias flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.
In the past few years, around 20 million pilgrims from all over the world, including Iran, gathered in Karbala to attend the mourning ceremonies marking Arbaeen.
This year, Arbaeen falls on Sunday, November 20.
source : abna24
