Arbaeen

Arbaeen

20th day of Islamic month of Safar

In the year 680 c.e., Imam al-Hussein died during the Battle of Taf in Karbala, Iraq. He was the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad The martyrdom of Hussein was such a pivotal event in Islamic history that it has inspired two Shi'ite Muslim holidays of mourning: Ashura and Arbaeen. Ashura, the holy day that commemorates the day Hussein fell to his Sunni enemies, is more widely observed, but Arbaeen still retains significance and elicits fervent expressions from the faithful.
The holy day falls on the 40th day after the anniversary of Hussein's death and marks the date when the martyr's decapitated head, which had been carried off as a trophy to Damascus, was finally reunited with his body.
The most popular way that Iranian Shi'ites observe this holiday is by carrying out ziarats —pilgrimages to a holy shrine. The holiest of shrines to Hussein lies in Karbala, the Iraqi city where the fateful seventh-century battle took place. Karbala receives most of its pilgrims from Iraq and Iran. Celebrations have seen Shi'ite-Sunni violence during periods of elevated tension between these two groups.

CONTACTS:
Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Imam Khomeini Sq.
Tehran Iran