Iraqi pilgrims start trek despite coronavirus spread

Thousands of Iraqi pilgrims on Sunday started making their way on foot to the Iraqi city of Karbala for the Shiite pilgrimage of Arbaeen.

The pilgrimage, known in Arabic as the Ziara, marks the anniversary of the 40th day of mourning following the 7th century death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein at the hands of the Muslim Umayyad forces in the Battle of Karbala, during the tumultuous first century of Islam's history.

Pilgrims streamed toward Karbala on foot from Baghdad, 90 kilometers (55 miles) to the north, and other places farther afield, while receiving free food and face masks amid the ongoing pandemic.

The pilgrimage usually includes millions of Iranians and other Shiites from abroad.

This year however, due to preventive measures to avoid further spread of the virus, the border between Iran and Iraq was sealed.

The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 3,672 new cases of COVID-19 infections on Sunday.

Arbaeen — Arabic for the number forty — draws far more pilgrims than the hajj in Saudi Arabia, a pilgrimage required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it

In neighboring Shiite-majority Iran, Arbaeen is a national holiday.

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