Srinagar| WTNS | August 26:A senior official at Hazrat Abbas (AS) shrine, Karbala, confirmed that at least 21.48 million Muslims from dozens of countries converged on Karbala to commemorate Arba’een, the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed (PUBH).

“The total number of Arba’een pilgrims… reached 21,480,525”, said the institution that manages the Abbas mausoleum and is responsible for the count.

Among them were about 3.5 million Iranian pilgrims, according to official figures reported in Tehran.

Arba’een is one of the world’s biggest religious gatherings and a major event for Muslims.

Pilgrims from Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Kuwait, India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and many others visited the Iraqi city, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

On Sunday, Al-Abbas Holy Shrine Commission announced that the number of people who participated in the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Karbala exceeded 21 million.

“This year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage drew 21,480,525 visitors,” the Commission stated.

Earlier, Iranian authorities had reported that more than three million citizens crossed the border into Iraq for the pilgrimage.

Millions of people from around the world, after walking approximately 80 kilometers from the holy city of Najaf, have gathered in the holy city of Karbala to commemorate the Arba’een of the martyrs of Karbala.

Every year people of Iraq and some soci-religious organizations of different countries set up Moukebs on the road between Najaf and Karbala in Iraq ahead of the Arbaeen season and providing food, beverages, accommodation, medicines and all kinds of facilities freely to visitors.

The Arbaeen pilgrimage, held annually in Karbala, Iraq, is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. It commemorates the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, along with his family and companions in the Battle of Karbala at the hands of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya’s army in 680 AD (61 AH). Millions of Shia Muslims from around the globe journey to Karbala to visit the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas, braving extreme temperatures to honor their sacrifice.