Huge Crowds of People Attend Procession in Tehran on Arbaeen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran on Thursday for a religious procession in commemoration of Arbaeen, forty days after the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shiite Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).
A main road to southern Tehran leading to the holy shrine of Abdol Azim al-Hasani (AS) in Rey was blocked to motorists on Thursday to allow a packed crowd to go on the pilgrimage on foot.
Since a couple of years ago, Tehran residents, calling themselves those “left behind” (for not having had the opportunity to take part in the annual Arbaeen march in Iraq), walk long distances from different parts of Tehran to Rey on Arbaeen.
Security around the sacred shrine of Abdol Azim al-Hasani (AS) has been tightened for the procession.
Arbaeen is a national holiday in Iran. It marks the 40th day after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), in 680 AD.
Last year, around 20 million pilgrims gathered in Karbala, Iraq, on Arbaeen, making the world’s hugest human gathering in modern history.