Iraq’s Rajab pilgrimage peaks as visitors head to Kadhimiya

Shafaq News– Baghdad

The annual Rajab pilgrimage reached its peak on Monday in the Iraqi capital, with vast crowds heading to the northern Baghdad district of Kadhimiya to commemorate the martyrdom of the seventh imam in Twelver Shia Islam, Musa ibn Jaafar al-Kadhim.

According to Shafaq News correspondent, tens of thousands of pilgrims began walking from early morning hours from various parts of Baghdad and several other provinces, filling main routes leading to the Kadhimiya Shrine. Organized religious and service processions were deployed along the roads, providing food, drinking water, medical assistance, and guidance to support the flow of visitors.

The pilgrimage is expected to reach its highest turnout on Thursday, on the 25th of Rajab, when millions of pilgrims traditionally converge on Kadhimiya. The commemoration is considered the third-largest Shia religious gathering after Ashura and Arbaeen, which mark the martyrdom of the third imam, Hussein ibn Ali, and have drawn between 20 and 25 million pilgrims, making them among the largest annual religious gatherings in the world.

Security forces were deployed in large numbers across main and secondary roads and around the shrine complex, implementing traffic control and protection measures to ensure the safety of participants.

Authorities also announced the suspension of official working hours on January 15 in Baghdad and Karbala to coincide with the anniversary.

During the 2025 Rajab pilgrimage, the Kadhimiya shrine administration reported that approximately 14 million visitors took part in the commemoration.