BAGHDAD (APP) – Thousands of black-clad Shia pilgrims marched on foot to the twin gold-domed shrine of Imam Musa Kazim in al-Kazmiya district of northwestern Baghdad on Saturday.
Located in the Iraqi capital, the site holds great religious significance for Shia Muslims as it hosts the shrine of Imam Kazim, the seventh of the Twelve Imams of Shia Islam, who died in the late eighth century.
This year, it comes amid seismic changes in the region that have left many Shiites feeling vulnerable, including the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in neighboring Syria. Assad was an ally of Iran, whose intervention helped him hold on to power during a nearly 14-year civil war before he was ousted last month in a lightning strike led by the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. separated from
Iran-allied groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon are also locked in a more than year-long war with Israel. Both Gaza and Lebanon have signed strict cease-fire agreements.
28-year-old Haji Muhammad Al-Sawasi from Wasit province arrived in Baghdad carrying a black banner as a symbol of mourning after walking for two days.
“We are feeling a deep sense of despair after the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon where we have lost irreplaceable leaders,” he said. “Today we express our sorrow by visiting Imam Kazim.”
Major roads in the Iraqi capital were closed to a large influx of pilgrims, mainly from the southern and central provinces.
Tents were set up on the roads leading to the shrine to provide services and comfort for pilgrims. Iraqi security forces were heavily deployed to secure the annual event, which usually attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from Iraq and beyond.
At Al-Akademiya, vehicular traffic was banned, and all entrances to the city were sealed with security checkpoints to regulate the entry of visitors.
