Iran-Iraq border crossings of Mehran in western Ilam Province and Shalamcheh in southwestern Khuzestan Province will be closed to cargo transportation from November 14 to 21, as the number of Iranian pilgrims travelling to the religious Iraqi cities is expected to increase on the occasion of Arbaeen—to commemorate the end of the 40-day mourning period of the seventh-century martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH), Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) grandson, in the present-day Iraqi city of Karbala, IRNA reported, citing the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration. Last year, more than two million pilgrims travelled to Iraq to participate in the Shia ritual. The number is expected to reach three million this year.
