TEHRAN–Some 1,200 Iraqi pilgrims are traveling on foot to Mashhad on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA), the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a local official has said.

The Iraqi pilgrims began their spiritual journey and foot pilgrimage a while ago and currently, they are on their way to Mashhad, Hossein Rezai said on Saturday.

The holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam, in the city of Mashhad will host mourners of the Prophet’s daughter, which will gather from some neighboring countries as well as different Iranian provinces, he added.

Mashhad, the capital of Khorasan Razavi province, is Iran’s holiest and second-largest city which embraces the shrine complex of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Shia Imam.

Before the coronavirus puts almost everything on lockdown, Mashhad played host to thousands of travelers and pilgrims who come from various Iranian cities, neighboring countries, and even across the globe to visit the holy shrine.

Over the past couple of years, neighboring Iraq has been one of Iran’s most important markets for tourism and pilgrimage. In January, the deputy tourism chief Ali-Asghar Shalbafian announced that Iran had renewed arrangements to facilitate travels for Iraqi nationals. “For Iraqi tourists visiting Iran, a new system has been implemented to ensure their safety and comfort.”

In 2021, the two neighbors agreed to abolish visa requirements for air travelers.

The announcement came after President Ebrahim Raisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met in Tehran, discussing various issues including visa waiver, a joint railway project, and increasing the level of trade.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Iraqi constituted Iran’s largest source of tourists. In return, hundreds of thousands of Iranian pilgrims head for the holy Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala each year to attend the Arbaeen pilgrimage, aka the Arbaeen trek, to mark an end to the 40-day mourning period following the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

ABU/AM