Millions of mourners gathered in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala on Wednesday for the funeral ceremonies of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, with Iraqi authorities saying attendance had reached several million, according to Iranian media. <\/p>\n
The official funeral procession began at 6 a.m. local time in Najaf after funeral prayers were held over Ayatollah Khamenei’s body at the shrine of Imam Ali (AS), News.Az<\/a> reports, citing Iran’s English-language Press TV<\/a>.<\/p>\n The procession moved from the shrine via Kufa Bridge and the Thawrat al-Ashreen intersection to al-Sadreen Square before the body was transported to Karbala.<\/p>\n Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) said more than 2.3 million people had taken part in the funeral procession in Najaf, adding that the number continued to rise as mourners arrived from across the country.<\/p>\n Separately, Al Mayadeen television, citing the Karbala governorate, reported that authorities had recorded the attendance of 7 million mourners in Karbala.<\/p>\n From before dawn, mourners streamed into Najaf from across Iraq, with reports describing the gathering as “million-strong” and “unprecedented”.<\/p>\n Roads leading into the city were heavily congested as participants travelled from provinces including Basra, Muthanna and Maysan, while additional crowds entered Najaf from the east.<\/p>\n The six-kilometre funeral route was lined with mourners carrying portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei and waving Iraqi, Iranian and Hezbollah flags.<\/p>\n The atmosphere in Najaf was marked by mourning as elegies and chants echoed through the city while a specially prepared vehicle carrying Ayatollah Khamenei’s body slowly made its way through tightly packed crowds.<\/p>\n Security forces and organisers worked throughout the ceremony to manage the crowds and maintain order.<\/p>\n Earlier on Wednesday, funeral prayers were held over Ayatollah Khamenei and members of his family at the shrine of Imam Ali (AS) before the official procession began.<\/p>\n The bodies were then transported to Karbala, where they were taken to the shrines of Imam Hussein (AS) and his brother Abbas (AS) for farewell ceremonies.<\/p>\n According to reports, mourning tents had been erected along the funeral route, while black banners were displayed throughout Najaf’s streets and public squares.<\/p>\n Although the ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala were expected to last only several hours, reports said the scale of the event made it one of the largest in the modern history of the two cities, which regularly host millions of pilgrims during the Islamic months of Muharram, Safar, Shaaban and Ramadan.<\/p>\n Correspondents reported exceptional traffic congestion on all roads leading into Najaf as Iraqi citizens and foreign visitors continued to arrive for the ceremonies.<\/p>\n Among those attending was Ammar al-Hakim, leader of Iraq’s National Wisdom Movement.<\/p>\n Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, said attending Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral and honouring his legacy was “a duty”.<\/p>\n “Commemorating the legacy of the martyred Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, the great leader of the Islamic nation, and participating in his funeral is a duty because he was a great leader who remained steadfast, endured, stood against challenges and brought victory to the Iranian nation,” al-Maliki said, according to the Iraqi News Agency.<\/p>\n “Everything the Iraqi people do today through their participation in the funeral of the martyred Imam Khamenei and through their other supportive positions, no matter how great or valuable, remains insufficient compared with the stature of this great figure, a figure who shaped a bright future not only for the Iranian nation but for many countries in the region,” he said.<\/p>\n Al-Maliki said Ayatollah Khamenei “remained steadfast, resisted and stood against major powers known for their immense military strength until victory was achieved”, adding that “the Iranian nation, through patience, perseverance and steadfastness despite all the challenges and losses it endured, emerged victorious”.<\/p>\n “We see the results of all this in the successes of the Islamic Republic of Iran, whether in political negotiations or on the battlefields,” he said.<\/p>\n Al-Maliki added that Iraq’s message was that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is not alone, but has friends who stand beside it and support it”, and that Iran “stands on the side of truth” and has supporters around the world “even if some peoples, because of the political circumstances they experience, cannot openly express that support”.<\/p>\n Throughout the morning, crowds filled the streets of Najaf for what organisers described as a historic farewell attended by unprecedented numbers of mourners.<\/p>\n The official procession followed a reception ceremony at Najaf International Airport for Ayatollah Khamenei’s body attended by senior Iraqi officials and prominent political and religious figures.<\/p>\n To mark the occasion, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi declared Wednesday a public holiday across Iraq to coincide with the funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Khamenei and members of his family.<\/p>\n