As millions of pilgrims are taking the route to Iraq’s Karbala to pay tribute to Imam Hussein (AS) during the Arbaeen season, a special cultural pavilion has been set up on the road in commemoration of late Iranian commander Lt. General Qassem Soleimani.
The pavilion is designed and set up by the “Maktab of Haj Qassem” foundation, an organization founded to compile and publish books related to late General Soleimani and to provide media, cultural and research services in connection with the popular anti-terror commander.
The pavilion offers cultural programs for children and adolescents. The young pilgrims traveling to Karbala can familiarize themselves with the lives and activities of General Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were assassinated in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.
During a visit to the cultural pavilion, Hamidreza Moqaddamfar, the adviser to the commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in media affairs, said the pilgrims traveling to Karbala during the Arbaeen season owe every single step of the journey to the sacrifices made by General Soleimani.
Whoever has the honor of making the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq should know that they are indebted to the altruism of Haj Qassem and the forces that protected the holy Shiite shrines during years of insurgency by the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group, he added.
Arbaeen, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shiite Imam.
Each year, a huge crowd of Shiites flock to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.
Iran and Iraq have signed agreements to remove visa restrictions for the Arbaeen pilgrims, raise the level of services and facilities for the pilgrims, and enhance border security during the pilgrimage season, which will culminate in a large gathering in Karbala on September 6.
Source: Tasnim News Agency
