The Center of Mosque Studies - Speaking at a press conference in Karbala on Sunday, Mir Masoud Hosseinian said the number of Iranians taking part in the annual Arbaeen rituals in Iraq is estimated to be around 3 million.
He added that a 200-strong group of medics and specialists as well as ten teams from the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) will serve the Iranian pilgrims during the great religious event.
Also, Hosseinian said, around two tons of different medicines will be sent to Karbala from Iran.
Earlier, an official with the committee responsible for organizing Iranians’ pilgrimage to Iraq during Arbaeen said that Iraqi embassy and consulates in Iran have so far issued 1.27 million visas for Iranians intending to travel to Karbala on Arbaeen.
Arbaeen, which is the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).
Each year, a huge crowd of Shias flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites. Many of them also visit Imam Ali’s (AS) holy shrine in Najaf.
In the past few years, around 20 million pilgrims from all over the world, including Iran, took part in the mourning ceremonies in the Iraqi holy cities marking Arbaeen.
This year, Arbaeen falls on Thursday, November 9.