Route to Kadhimiya to reopen for pilgrims

The Director General of the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization has announced that travel to Kadhimiya will once again be included in the itineraries of Iraqi pilgrimage convoys.

According to Mohsen Nezafati, the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization removed travel to the city of Kadhimiya from pilgrimage convoy itineraries approximately eight months ago due to the unstable security situation in Iraq and the intensification of ISIS attacks in the northern part of the country, although individuals travelling to Iraq independently continued to visit Kadhimiya during this period.

Mohsen Nezafati, Director General of the Atabat-e-Aliyat at the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, stated that they hope Iranian pilgrims will be able to visit Kadhimiya via their organised convoys by the month of Bahman (January/February).

Regarding the provision of necessary conditions for the resumption of these trips, he stated: "We were awaiting authorisation from the relevant authorities to dispatch pilgrimage convoys to Kadhimiya, and this has now been made possible."

He continued: "We are currently developing a cohesive plan for pilgrims to visit the holy cities of Najaf, Karbala, and Kadhimiya during their journey."

According to Nezafati, the addition of Kadhimiya to the pilgrims' itinerary will not change the duration of trips to the Atabat-e-Aliyat in Iraq; the trips will remain seven or ten days in length, with one to two days allocated for Kadhimiya.