TEHRAN (Tasnim) � The number of Iranians going on pilgrimage to Iraq�s holy cities during the current Iranian year (which started March 20) is planned to reach 1.5 million a senior official at Iran�s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization announced.





Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Mohsen Nezafati said the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization dispatched 600,000 pilgrims to Iraq over the past year, adding that it plans to double the capacity or even more.

�Increasing the number of dispatched pilgrims to Iraq�s holy cities to 1.5 million is among the objectives of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization this year,� he said.

The official went on to say that to that end, all arrangements have been made and facilities, like hotels, have been provided for the pilgrims to Iraq.

More than 1.6 million Iranian pilgrims, including those dispatched by Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, traveled to Iraq during last year�s Arbaeen ceremony, which comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS).

Each year during Arbaeen, a huge crowd of Shiites flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located.

Last year, the number of pilgrims going to Karbala for Arbaeen reached 20 million.

By Tasnim News Agency