Millions of devotees on monumental Arba’een journey

The Arbaeen March, as the traditional 40th day of mourning for the martyrs of the epic of Ashura nears, and pilgrims make their way to the city of Karbala in Iraq for paying homage at the holy shrine of the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Husain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

The occasion is marked all over the Muslim world, but is most impressively honored in Karbala, which houses Imam Hussein’s shrine.

The majority of those heading to the city will walk in its direction from the neighboring holy city of Najaf.

In their splendor, the ceremonies are regarded by Muslims as a unique display of their unity in the face of attempts at sowing discord among them.

Thousands of security forces have been deployed along the routes leading to the city.

Meanwhile, around 1.5 million Iranians have so far headed out of the country via three border crossings on the journey to Karbala, Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari, the chief of Iran's Law Enforcement Forces, told Tasnim News Agency on Friday.

Ashtari, who was attending the Mehran border crossing in the western Iranian Ilam Province, said 65 percent of those had crossed into Iraq through the land terminal.

He hailed that continuous alertness by security forces at the exit routes had successfully ensured security there, forestalling any incident.

SS