3400 local, int’l processions arrive in Karbala

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: About 3400 processions of pilgrims have arrived in the holy Shiite city of Karbala to perform the rituals of Imam al-Hussein Arbaeen in mid-February, according to a local official on Sunday. “The processions include ones from Arab, African, Asian and European countries,” Riad al-Salman, the official in charge of the Husseini rituals and processions for Iraq and the Muslim world in Karbala, told IraqiNews.com news agency. He added that the processions are flowing the city from Britain, Iran, Pakistan as well as many Arab and African countries like Tanzania and Comoros. The Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the killing of Imam al-Hussein, a figure highly revered by Shiite Muslims, in the battle of Taf on the Muslim Hegira calendar year of 60 (681 on the Gregorian calendar). Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims’ holiest cities. The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq’s wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates. It is made up of two districts, “Old Karbala,” the religious centre, and “New Karbala,” the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings. At the centre of the old city is Masjid al-Hussein, the tomb of Hussein Ibn Ali, grandsone of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima al-Zahraa and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Imam Hussien’s tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many Shiite Muslims, especially on the anniversary of the battle, the Day of Ashuraa. Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death, as they believe the tomb to be one of the gates to paradise. On April 14, 2007, a car bomb exploded about 600 ft (200 m) from the shrine, killing 47 and wounding over 150. AmR (S) 1