TEHRAN—Over 52,000 pilgrimage trips have been registered for Mashhad in Iran’s Khorasan Razavi province and Najaf in Iraq during the last week, based on data obtained from an online ticket sales and distribution platform.

According to Mehr news agency, Mashhad was the origin or destination of 25% of all trips recorded in Iran last week. Over 50 percent of the trips were conducted via train, 30 percent by bus, and 20 percent via airplane. 

This data indicates that during high season, the passengers are better able to plan their trips by using a diverse fleet of transportation options, including trains, buses, and planes. The dispersion of user choices suggests that diversity in fleet type and cost plays an important role in travelers' decisions.

A comparative study of the number of tickets issued for overseas pilgrimage trips in the week leading up to the Khordad holidays compared to normal periods shows double number of traveling to Najaf and Mehran border. Also, over 1,000 tickets have been registered for traveling to holy Najaf and Mehran border during the same period.

This growth is in line with pattern of pilgrimage trips on religious days. It shows concentration of pilgrims on presence in pilgrimage sites during the day of Arafah.

The Day of Arafah is an Islamic holiday that falls on the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar. It is the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage and is followed by the holiday of Eid al-Adha. At dawn of this day, Muslim pilgrims will make their way from Mina to a nearby hillside and plain called Mount Arafat and the Plain of Arafat in Saudi Arabia. It was from this site that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave one of his last sermons in the final year of his life. Some Muslims hold that part of the Quranic verse announcing that the religion of Islam had been perfected was revealed on this day.

Studies on the pilgrimage route of visitors show that the highest number of pilgrimage trips has been conducted from provinces of Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan. These provinces had the largest share among pilgrims for pilgrimage purposes inside and outside the country.

Choosing pilgrimage trips in Khordad holiday indicates that coincidence with religious occasions, especially the Day of Arafah, has played a significant role in increasing the volume of travel. Meanwhile, the increased use of online ticketing platforms shows that users are using these platforms more than ever to plan pilgrimage trips. 

With the approaching month of Muharram and the arrival of Arbaeen, it is expected that the role of these platforms in facilitating the upcoming high-volume pilgrimage trips will be more prominent than in the past.

KD