News - Middle East: This year’s Arbaeen congregation in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala hit a record high as millions streamed into the city after walking by foot from the holy city of Najaf, says a shrine official.

In an interview with the Press TV website on Saturday, Razzak Noor Ridha, a senior public relations officer at the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine in Karbala, said the Arbaeen pilgrimage keeps growing bigger.
Arbaeen marks the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) and his companions on the desert plains of Karbala almost fourteen centuries ago, which is commemorated every year across the world with massive congregations and tremendous religious fervor.
The biggest procession is taken out between the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala with millions of pilgrims from different countries covering the stretch of 80 kilometers by foot under the blazing sun.
In recent years, especially since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime in Iraq, the Arbaeen pilgrimage has grown bigger every year, drawing Muslims and non-Muslims from across the world.
Ridha said Iraqis have for centuries strived to keep alive the legacy of the martyrs of Karbala through annual Muharram commemorations as well as the traditional Arabeen processions.
“This year the number has been the highest, but it must be noted that this number only represents visitors coming from outside Karbala,” he told the Press TV website.