SHAFAQNA- Press TV: More than 1,200 employees of Imam Hossein’s holy shrine travelled to the city of Qom in Iran to attend the special ceremonies which have been held in appreciation of their efforts in hosting millions of Iranian pilgrims each year during Ashura and the Arba’een, and in conveying the message and thoughts of the third Shia Imam.
The Arba’een Pilgrimage is the world’s largest annual public gathering that is held every year in Karbala at the end of the 40-day mourning period following Ashura, the religious ritual for the commemoration of martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad in 680.
The employees of Imam Hossein’s holy shrine will also travel to Tehran and the holy city of Mashhad, home to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), to attend similar ceremonies in their honor.
Each year, Shia and Sunni pilgrims as well as those from other faiths gather in Iraq in the weeks leading to the day of Arba’een and stream towards Karbala on foot from other Iraqi cities, especially Najaf and Basra. In recent years, Karbala has been host to between 10 and 20 million visitors during the event.
Imam Hossein (AS) was a grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was martyred during the Battle of Karbala along with his 72 companions. His shrine is one of the holiest places for Shias outside of Mecca and Medina. Every year, millions of Iranian pilgrims visit the shrine in Karbala during Arba’een.