Arbaeen pilgrimage draws 22 million to Karbala amid Iraq-Iran tensions

Baghdad,UPDATED: Aug 4, 2026 21:50 IST

Millions of Shiite Muslims marked the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq's holy city of Karbala on Tuesday, with the event unfolding amid regional tensions and fears of another round of escalation in the US-Iran war. Arbaeen is held 40 days after Ashoura, which commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and members of his family at the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD.

Iraqi officials said more than 22 million people entered Karbala during the pilgrimage, including about 5 million non-Iraqi visitors as well as Iraqis from different parts of the country. The gathering, considered one of the world's largest annual religious events, comes at a time when Iraq is facing economic strain, disruption to oil exports after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the challenge of trying to disarm Iran-backed militias.

Karbala Governor Nasseif Jassim al-Khattabi gave the turnout figure on Tuesday. Among the most prominent foreign visitors was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Monday and then travelled to Karbala to take part in the pilgrimage. His visit reflected Iraq's delicate position as it tries to balance its close ties with both Washington and Tehran while avoiding being pulled deeper into the conflict.

Iranian pilgrims arrived in large numbers, but some observers said the number of visitors from other countries appeared to be lower than usual. Aqeel al-Rubaie, 45, a pilgrim from Baghdad travelling to Karbala, said Iranian flags were especially visible along the Najaf-Karbala road, while there were fewer flags than usual from European, Arab and other Islamic countries. He said this was because of "the war and the events unfolding across the region, which have affected the number of Arab and foreign pilgrims". Another pilgrim from Baghdad, Hassan al-Sarai, 35, said, "I hardly saw any flags other than Iranian ones, which were clearly visible along the road as well as inside and around the city of Karbala."

Volunteer processions offering food, water, medical care and other services lined the roads leading to Karbala from across Iraq. The pilgrimage is taking place as Iraq faces difficult economic conditions after the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has affected the country's oil exports. More than 90 per cent of Iraqi state revenues come from oil exports, leaving the economy highly exposed to any disruption in crude shipments.

The event also comes as Baghdad is trying to disarm the country's network of militias, many of them backed by Iran. Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful Iran-backed militias, said in a statement marking Arbaeen that it rejected calls to disarm and remained committed to keeping what it called the "weapons of the resistance".

In Iran, many observant Shiites who could not travel to Karbala held their own Arbaeen observances, some of which took on a political tone. In Tehran, black-clad mourners rallied along a nearly 20-km route to a Shiite holy shrine in the south of the city from a starting point in the central part of the capital. They chanted slogans calling for retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in strikes by the US and Israel, while some demonstrators trampled on US and Israeli flags. State media said similar rallies were held in other Iranian cities and towns.

The Arbaeen pilgrimage in Karbala again drew millions this year, but it also unfolded against the backdrop of regional conflict, economic pressure in Iraq and political tensions that were visible both on the road to the holy city and in parallel observances in Iran.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends