Thread by @seyyedreza

I just got back from the world's largest pilgrimage you've probably never heard of: Arbaeen, which happens in Iraq every year.

Here's some pictures from Arbaeen this year in Karbala, which saw 20 million pilgrims - 10 times as much as Hajj to Mecca! #Iraq

To mark Arbaeen, pilgrims from all over the world walk 100 kilometres between the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, ending at the shrine of Imam Hussein.

In his memory, the entire way, the ENTIRE route is full of thousands of Iraqis passing out free food and drink everywhere!

You walk for days on end, sleeping in homes and husseiniyas that Iraqis open up to pilgrims, living off the generosity of the millions of Iraqis who spend all year saving to welcome you for the pilgrimage.

"Welcome pilgrims! Please take lunch!" These kids yell along the route.

Imagine a food festival 50 miles long, where the entire way - 3 days walking - people are passing out free of charge everything you could imagine.

This is Arbaeen!

There's falafel... and fresh bread and eggs and beans with thick Iraqi tea or Arabic coffee at breakfast, fried fish and mutton stew and shawarma and chicken with saffron rice at lunch and dinner, sweet rose water deserts and pastries in the evening... A taste of Iraq!

The whole way, people are putting food in your face: trying to keep you well fed and well rested. And at night, they open their homes and hussainiyas, and wherever you stop walking they give you a blanket and a place to stay.

It's an incredible experience.

The diversity of countries at Arbaeen is astounding- besides millions of Iraqis and Iranians, there’s Pakistanis, Indians, Azerbaijanis, Afghans, Nigerians, Lebanese, Saudis, Turks, Bahrainis, Kuwaitis, Qataris, Algerians, Bangladeshis, Moroccans, Burkinabes, and many others...

You see Muslim rituals from all over: songs of mourning and remembrance from each corner of the world... with the names - Hussain, Zaynab, Ali, Fatima, Muhammad - coming through in each, intelligible to all, no matter where from... This is from Afghanistan:

Along the road you see camaraderie and a spirit of love and respect prevail among pilgrims: the millions of people at Arbaeen know that without the well wishing of their Iraqi hosts and other pilgrims, none of this would be possible!

The pilgrimage route between Najaf and Karbala follows the Euphrates River closely, and if you veer for a bit you find yourself in a paradise of date palms!

I don’t think I’d ever seen date palms so beautiful before- I’m used to them standing alone on the side of the road, not enveloped by lush greenery and gentle canals. #Iraq

There’s a perception that Islam forbids images. This is incorrect- it’s idols that Islam forbids, not depictions in general.

Depictions of holy figures have been common throughout Islamic history. No where is this more visible on Arbaeen! Esp with images of Imam Ali and Hossein.

These images are a potent sign of Shia Muslim identity, particularly because in Sunni Islam there has been a tendency to de-emphasize images.

But among Shia Muslims, Alevis, and many Sufi Muslims worldwide, such images are common and meaningful for devotees.

Arbaeen climaxes at Karbala, when 10 million arrive at the shrines filled with an unceasing stream of pilgrims.

The journey begins at the tomb of Imam Ali, and ends at his two sons' Hossein and Abbas, martyred at Karbala for refusing to submit to the will of the tyrant Yazid.

Chants in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Azeri Turkish, Punjabi, and many more float through the air as caravans arrive, with an announcer welcoming each in turn over a loudspeaker amid the din.

It's not just Muslims: Here's a Christian group arriving, to which the announcer gave an even louder welcome: Salam Aleikom ya Isa ibn Hazrate Maryam! Peace be upon Jesus son of Saint Mary! - in reference to the holy figures shared by both Muslims and Christians.

Many spend the following days visiting small local shrines by night in the hope that this Holy Land may offer solitude, healing, strength or whatever they’re looking for, with Urdu, Arabic, Persian and songs filling the night.

Arbaeen is religious, but it's also political.

We’re so inundated by news of ISIS attacks in the West that we so often forget it was Iraqis who bore the brunt of their attacks - and it was Iraqis who gave their lives in the thousands to defeat ISIS.

On Arbaeen pilgrimage, you can never forget: above the camps where food and drink are distributed to pilgrims, there are everywhere photos of those who once served tea but no longer do.

At some tents, visitors are invited to say a prayer for their souls, beside photos showing the martyr and mentioning where he fell in the fight against ISIS.

Some died in 2014, some in 2016, and some just a few months ago in the battle to liberate Mosul.

There are even some martyr posters of those that died under Saddam’s regime.

Arbaeen is a pilgrimage for Imam Hossein; but in Iraq today, it is also a challenge to ISIS - who killed Shia Muslims wherever they found them - and a march in their memory.

And when you finish your pilgrimage, you can even make a stop in Beautiful Baghdad, just 2 hours away by taxi!

Thank you Iraq for this amazing journey and the memories of this beautiful country and its people!

The twin golden domes of the Kadhemiya shrine in northern Baghdad, home to the graves of two of Shia Islam’s 12 Imams.

Despite being targeted by repeated Al Qaeda and ISIS bombings over the years, the domes still gleam brightly and attract millions of pilgrims.