Arbaeen procession sets out for Karbala from Iraq’s southern tip

BASRA — A pilgrimage procession set out Thursday from Ras al-Bisha, the southernmost point of Iraq in Basra’s Al-Faw district, beginning a 17-day walk to Karbala for Arbaeen.

Ali Athab, who organizes the Dam’at Ruqayya procession, said it was the first flag procession to depart from Ras al-Bisha, setting off under the slogan “Labbaik Ya Hussein,” or “At your service, O Hussein,” on its way to the shrine of Imam Hussein.

The journey runs in two stages, Athab said: five days from Ras al-Bisha north to the Hartha area of Basra, where the procession will stop to provide services to other pilgrims, then 12 more days on foot to Karbala. He said the people of Al-Faw had welcomed the procession warmly, hosting the participants for lunch before they set off.

Arbaeen is one of the largest annual religious gatherings in the world. It falls on the 40th day after Ashura, marking the killing of Imam Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680. Millions of Shia Muslims from Iraq and beyond travel to Karbala each year, many walking long distances from cities across the country to reach the shrine where Imam Hussein is buried.