Arbaeen in Iran in 2024

Arbaeen in Iran in 2024
Inside the shrine of Imam Hussein, Karbala, Iraq.
  How long until Arbaeen?
Arbaeen
  Dates of Arbaeen in Iran
2025 Iran Thu, Aug 14 National Holiday
2024 Iran Sun, Aug 25 National Holiday
2023 Iran Wed, Sep 6 National Holiday
2022 Iran Sat, Sep 17 National Holiday
2021 Iran Mon, Sep 27 National Holiday
  Summary

Commemorates the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad

When is Arbaeen?

Arbaeen is a national holiday in Iran.

It is observed on Safar 20 or 21, the 40th day after Ashura,  the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad, in 680 AD.

History of Arbaeen

Arbaeen is one of the most important ceremonies in the Shi'ite Muslim calendar.

Arbaeen means forty in Arabic as forty days is the traditional length of mourning after the death of a family member or loved one in Muslim traditions.

Imam Hussein was killed at the Battle of Karbala in central Iraq on 10 October 680 AD.

Hussein was seen by his followers as the rightful heir of the prophet's legacy. When he refused to pledge allegiance to the Umayyad caliphate, he was killed in the battle, cementing the schism between Sunni and Shiite Islam. Hussein's half-brother Abbas was also killed in the battle.

Millions of pilgrims will gather in Karbala on Arbaeen, making it the world’s largest annual human gathering. Making the pilgrimage, known in Arabic as the Ziara, many of the pilgrims travel barefooted from across Iraq and more than 50 countries. Over three million Iranians travel to Iraq for the Ziara.

In Iran, thousands in Tehran will march to a town south of the capital to mourn at the shrine of Shiite saint Abdul Azim.


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