Grand procession held in Tehran to commemorate Arba’een

People from different walks of life packed in the main roads leading to the holy shrine of Hazrat Abdol Azim al-Hasani (PBUH) in Rey, south of Tehran, on Saturday morning to take part in the grand religious procession.

The roads were blocked to motorists to allow the crowd to go on the pilgrimage on foot.

Since a couple of years ago, Tehran residents, calling themselves those “Left Behind” (for not having had the opportunity to take part in the annual Arba’een march in Iraq), walk long distances from different parts of Tehran to Rey on Arba’een.

Arba’een is a national holiday in Iran. It marks the 40th day after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the third Shias’ Imam and also the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny), in 680 AD.

The Iraqi city of Karbala, which hosts the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (PBUH), has attracted millions of pilgrims, even non-Muslims, who create the world’s largest human gathering in modern history.