Roads, border jammed as millions of Iranian pilgrims head to Iraq
TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – All routes leading to Iran’s multiple border crossings with Iraq were jammed on Thursday as millions of Iranians headed to the neighboring country for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage.
Arbaeen marks 40 days since Ashura (10th day of Islamic month Muharram) and sees millions of people from across the world walking by foot between the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. A vast majority of pilgrims come from Iran.
This year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage comes after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first time Iranian nationals have been given visa exemption by the Iraqi government.
According to rough estimates, around 5 million Iranians are heading to Iraq for the pilgrimage, resulting in traffic jams and chaos at the border crossings in the western provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan.
It is estimated that over 20 million pilgrims are expected to travel to Iraq for Arbaeen this year.
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