Security, service preparations in Karbala ahead of Arafat Day

KARBALA / IraqiNews.com: Security and service preparations are in full swing for the arrival of thousands of pilgrims in Karbala on the Day of Arafat, the province’s governor said on Saturday. “Every year, the holy shrines (in Karbala) receive the visitors who did not have an opportunity to head to the Holy Land (in Mecca) for pilgrimage,” Governor Amal al-Din Majeed al-Hir told IraqiNews.com news agency. An operations room that includes Karbala’s police and the departments of health, water, sewage and electricity has been set up for the occasion, the governor explained. The Day of Arafat is an Islamic Holy Day, in which it is said that the religion had been perfected. The original day was on a Friday, but now the Day falls on the 9th day of Dhul Hijja of the lunar Islamic Calendar. This happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan. It is the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage and the day after it is the major Islamic Holiday of Eidul Adha. SS (P)/SR 1