Overview
- Pilgrims from across Iraq and abroad have traveled by the millions to Karbala for Arbaeen, the 40-day ritual that closes the Shiite mourning period for Husayn ibn Ali.
- The best-known route runs from Najaf to Karbala and is supported by thousands of volunteer mawakib that offer free food, shelter and basic medical care to walkers.
- Officials reported large arrival numbers at Iraq’s border crossings and major cities, while some observers said fewer pilgrims came from many non‑Iranian countries this year.
- High-profile foreign visitors joined the pilgrimage and visible displays of Iranian flags along the route reflected close ties between many Iranian pilgrims and the ceremony, a dynamic that complicates Iraq’s neutral role in regional tensions.
- The walk draws on a 1,300-year memory of Husayn’s 680 CE martyrdom and has grown since 2003 into one of the world’s largest annual gatherings, showing how ritual, grassroots logistics and cultural expression sustain mass devotion despite security and economic strains in the region.