Tasnim – Officials in Iran’s capital of Tehran have made arrangements for a huge procession of people on Arbaeen, forty days after the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shiite Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).

While the annual congregation of Shiite Muslims in commemoration of Arbaeen is reaching its climax in Iraq, a lot of people in Tehran calling themselves those “left behind” are going to attend a procession to the holy shrine of Abdol Azim al-Hasani (AS) in Rey, south of Tehran.

Since a couple of years ago, pedestrians, many of them families, walk long distances from different parts of Tehran to south of the city on Arbaeen, which falls on Thursday this year.

Officials say the security around the sacred shrine of Abdol Azim al-Hasani (AS) has been tightened in preparation for tomorrow’s procession.

Arbaeen is a national holiday in Iran. It marks the 40th day after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), in 680 AD.

Last year, around 20 million pilgrims gathered in Karbala on Arbaeen, making the world’s hugest human gathering in modern history.