The Al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine reveals details of its service, health, and organisational plans for the Ashura pilgrimage

The Secretary-General of the Al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine; Sayed Mustafa Murtada Aal Dia-Uddin, revealed the details of the service, health, and organisational plans for the Ashura pilgrimage.

Sayed Aal Dia-Uddin said in a press interview that the holy shrine, under the guidance of its Senior Official; His Eminence Sayed Ahmad al-Safi, begins preparations, arrangements, and plans to welcome the new year after the end of each pilgrimage, due to the significance of this event in the hearts and souls of the lovers of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). There is coordination with both the central and local governments, the General Secretariat of the Imam al-Hussayn's (p) Holy Shrine, and the security forces, with well-studied and numerically prepared plans for every detail.

Service and knowledge plans
He added that the prepared plan includes service and informational axes; the service axis pertains to all the services that the esteemed visitor needs upon arriving in the holy city of Karbala, such as food, drink, medical services, accommodation, and others.
He explained that the cognitive services are represented by the specialised departments working throughout the year to clarify the message of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) and the tragic event of Ashura, and to spread religious values and concepts.

The organisational plan for the Twaireej Run mourning event
Regarding the mourning of the Twaireej Run, he explained that this mourning is considered the largest in the world, with millions of mourners participating on the 10th of Muharram. The number of participants increases year after year, so there is high-level security and service coordination for this mourning between the two holy shrines of Imam al-Hussayn and al-Abbas (peace be upon them), with the participation of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the holy Karbala Governorate, the Operations Command, the Police Command, and the Holy Shrines Protection Command.

Sayed Aal Dia-Uddin mentioned that there is a precise map for the mourning process, as the area is divided by sandbags in the shape of arrows into several organised paths. The staff of the Al-Abbas's (p) Shrine are distributed along these paths to guide the mourning under the supervision of the Between the Two Holy Shrines Department, which manages and organises the entry until the mourners reach the doors of the holy courtyard. Inside the courtyard, the Order Maintenance Department supervises the mourning, while the Senior Official of the Al-Abbas's (p) Shrine; His Eminence Sayed Ahmad al-Safi, directly and meticulously supervises the mourning from its start until its conclusion and the departure of the last visitor from the holy courtyard.

He explained that according to previous field studies, the entry and exit of mourners are organised as follows: 40% of the mourners enter through the Imam al-Hassan (peace be upon him) gate and exit through the Qibla and Imam Ali (peace be upon him) gates, 25% enter through the Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) gate and exit through the Euphrates (al-Alqami) gate, 20% enter through the Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) gate and exit through the Imam Muhammad al-Jawad and Imam Ali al-Hadi (peace be upon them) gates, and 15% enter through the Imam Musa al-Kadhem (peace be upon him) gate and exit through the Imam Muhammad al-Jawad and Imam Ali al-Hadi (peace be upon them) gates.

He pointed out that the al-Abbas's (p) holy shrine witnessed significant expansion after the fall of the regime, especially in the gates of the holy courtyard, including the gate of Imam al-Hassan (peace be upon him), which now accommodates large numbers of mourners and is considered one of the main entry points for the Twaireej mourning procession. He confirmed the continuation of expansion projects in the areas surrounding the courtyard of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him), aiming to accommodate as many visitors as possible.

Organising the work of the processions
He pointed out that the Department of Rituals, Processions, and Hussaini Bodies recorded the participation of 748 processions, and it has been organising their work since they commenced until the end of the tenth day and its night.
He explained that the department continues to mobilise efforts until the 17th of Muharram under the direct supervision of the administration of the Al-Abbas's (p) Shrine by providing all services and requirements for the owners of the processions from the outskirts of the holy city of Karbala and its various types and organisations.

The health file
Regarding the health aspect, Sayed Aal Dia-Uddin pointed out that the Medical Affairs Department has mobilised its efforts in preparation for the Ziyarat in coordination and cooperation with the Karbala Health Directorate and the Ministry of Health.
He indicated that the number of participating medical detachments reached 12 detachments, 21 ambulance teams, and 12 ambulances, and that 25 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies were prepared and secured in coordination with the Ministry of Health in terms of inspection, verification, and quality, to ensure the provision of safe and effective medicines for the visitors.

The volunteer file
Sayed Aal Dia-Uddin said that the major Ziyarats to the holy city of Karbala are among the occasions that require significant efforts, especially in terms of volunteer work, which is given great attention by the administration of the Al-Abbas's (p) Shrine.
He added that the number of volunteers participating in the health, service, and organisational plans for the Ziyarat on the 10th of Muharram this year reached (5,987) volunteers working on a shift system, with all the necessary supplies provided for them to perform their duties in serving the visitors.

Facing the summer heat
He explained that the staff of the relevant departments worked on covering the area surrounding the holy shrine with saran fabric at appropriate heights and installed large misting systems and fans, in addition to air coolers that operate on a misting system. They also deployed 12 misting cannons at the approaches to the courtyard of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him) and 30 fans distributed in a geometric manner to ensure that visitors benefit from them.
He confirmed that the saran fabric and mist fans cover an area of 24,000 square meters, encompassing all city entrances leading to the holy courtyard. The cooling capacity in the courtyard of Umm al-Baneen (peace be upon her) within the expansion project is 200 tonnes of cooling. The amount of diluted perfumes used daily is 55 litres, provided inside the holy sanctuary and the holy courtyard.