Over 3 Million foreign pilgrims flock to Samarra for Arbaeen amid historic influx

Shafaq News / Samarra's district administration, located southeast of Tikrit, revealed today the arrival of more than three million foreign pilgrims to the city, visiting the "Imam Al-Askari Shrines" in conjunction with the conclusion of the Arbaeen pilgrimage. The influx of pilgrims is expected to continue in the coming days.

Bakr Mohammed Shareef, the district administrator, informed Shafaq News Agency that "the district administration, in collaboration with security agencies and service departments, has established a joint operations center to accommodate foreign pilgrims during the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Karbala."

He noted that "the number of incoming pilgrims has exceeded three million, with expectations of reaching 3.5 million after the conclusion of the Arbaeen pilgrimage ceremonies."

Shareef characterized this year's influx of foreign pilgrims, coinciding with the Arbaeen pilgrimage, as "historic and exceptional," highlighting the coordinated efforts among all service and security departments and service convoys. He also confirmed "the sustained arrival of foreign pilgrims at the Imams' shrines even after the Arbaeen pilgrimage ceremonies."

Samarra annually witnesses a substantial influx of foreign pilgrims during the traditional Arbaeen pilgrimage, centered around the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala.

Throughout the year, foreign pilgrims visit various religious shrines in Iraq, with Arbaeen marking the peak of these religious journeys.

Samarra, situated 125 kilometers north of Baghdad, is home to the shrines of Imam Ali al-Hadi and Imam Hasan al-Askari, revered as the tenth and eleventh Imams by Shiite Muslims.