Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Braving extreme summer temperatures, more than 1,500 Iraqis from Dhi Qar province have embarked on a 90-kilometer (56-mile) walk across the desert to the holy city of Karbala for Arbaeen, one of the world's largest annual religious gatherings, which draws millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims to Iraq each year.

Mustafa Jawad, head of the Al-Zahraa pilgrimage group from Al-Nasr district, told Shafaq News that the group has made the two- to three-day journey from the Al-Ukhaidir Shrine to Karbala for the past 22 years.

Jawad explained that the pilgrimage commemorates Imam Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, who was killed in the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. Pilgrims also express solidarity with Sayyida Zainab, Hussein's sister, and the surviving members of his family, who, according to Islamic tradition, were taken captive and marched to Damascus after the battle.

As the procession advances toward Karbala, worshippers from other parts of Iraq join along the route, increasing its numbers to around 4,000 by the time it reaches the holy city.