TEHRAN – The Iranian capital city of Tehran and the Iraqi holy city of Karbala have signed a sisterhood agreement.

The visiting governor of Karbala, Nassif Jassim al-Khattabi, signed the agreement on Tuesday with Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani, ISNA reported.

The two sides aim to boost cooperation during the Arbaeen pilgrimage and broaden the ties in other fields, as well.

The two sides aim to boost cooperation during the Arbaeen pilgrimage and broaden the ties in other fields, as well. The Municipality of Tehran also intends to sign sisterhood agreements with some other Iraqi cities, including Baghdad and Najaf, according to the report.

The Arbaeen pilgrimage, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Imam of Shia Muslims, and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Each year, a huge crowd of people flocks to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rituals.

This year Arbaeen falls on September 17.

Before the outbreak of coronavirus, some 2 to 3 million Iranians attended annually in the Arbaeen march. However, last year, the rituals were held virtually to avoid the transmission of the disease.

In July, Mehdi Chamran, chairman of Tehran City Council, said Tehran municipality allocated 300 billion rials (nearly $11 million) to provide essential services, facilities, and equipment, as well as help to create bases needed by Iranian pilgrims.

The fifth international conference on the Arbaeen pilgrimage will be held in Tehran on August 23.

Organized by Allameh Tabatabai University, the conference has been held every year since 2016, and this year it will be held with a 2-year break due to the spread of coronavirus in the country.

MG