The Arbaeen Pilgrimage marks the end of a 40-day mourning period following the day of Ashura, the religious ritual that commemorates the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussain. Imam Hussain became a martyr during the Battle of Karbala [680 CE] where he fought against the Yazid armies.

Arbaeen is the most significant number of people fed for free and the largest group of volunteers serving a single event in the world. Up to 25 million pilgrims take the 75km journey from Najaf to Imam Hussain’s shrine in Karbala, Iraq while some walk 700km from Basra in Southern Iraq. The pilgrimage, also known as Ziara is optional and usually commemorated by Shia Muslims.

Arbaeen offers a positive narrative of resilience, solidarity, and faith for pilgrims.

Mass Gathering Preparedness and Response: Cross-Border Collaboration and Coordination Between Iraq and Neighbouring Countries | WHO EMRO | 2019 | www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-25-2019/volume-25-issue-7/mass-gathering-preparedness-and-response-cross-border-collaboration-and-coordination-between-iraq-and-neighbouring-countries.html

‘Muslim Mass Gathering: Arba’een’ by Alaa Amin| MGHN London Conference  | 2018 | www.tiny.cc/mghnconf-arbaeen

Exploring Challenges of Health System Preparedness for Communicable Diseases in Arbaeen Mass Gathering: A Qualitative Study | NCBI | 2018 | ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30473777

Comparative Study of Contagious Diseases and Their Related Risk Factors in the Children and Adults Pilgrims Referred to Educational and Treatment Centers in Ilam on the Day of Arbaeen in 2017 | Journal of Comprehensive Paediatrics | 2017 | comprped.com/articles/85771.html

Survey of Infectious and Non-Infectious Diseases and the Survival of Pilgrims at Health Centers of Ilam on the Day of Arbaeen in 2016 | Iranian Red Cresent Medical Journal | 2016 | ircmj.com/articles/14538.html