On the anniversary of the Arbaeen of Imam Hussain (a.s.), the Cultural Consultancy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Spain organized an exhibition of selected photos in the 6th World Arbaeen Award at the Ulma Carissa gallery in Madrid.
In the opening ceremony of the exhibition, the Attaché culturel of the Islamic Republic of Iran gave explanations to the attendees on the characteristics of the selected works, explaining the ritual of Arbaeen Walk and pilgrimage to the shrine of Imam Hussain (a.s.).
Mohammad Mahdi Ahmadi stated, “The works displayed in this exhibition are 30 selected works from the 6th Arbaeen World Festival, which is held in Iran every year.”
“These works show different aspects of Arbaeen Walk ritual. Some of them show the route of the journey and the mood of the pilgrims, while others display the services offered to the pilgrims along the way,’ he said.
“Arbaeen ceremony is one of the biggest religious gatherings in the world. But certain orientations and censorship by the western media outlets have caused this event to be less known. We hope that this art exhibition can introduce this religious and cultural ritual to the good people of Spain,” Ahmadi emphasized.
Arbaeen World Award photo exhibition in Spain
At the opening of the exhibition, while emphasizing that Arbaeen is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, Hassan Ghashghavi, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Spain also stated, “After a Hindu ritual that is held every six years in India and is attended by nearly one hundred million people, the Arbaeen Walk ceremony and pilgrimage of Imam Hussain (a.s.) is considered the second largest religious gathering in the world.”
“The Arbaeen ceremony is held every year in Iraq, and pilgrims travel a path on foot for pilgrimage of the shrine of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and the martyrs of Karbala. The number of pilgrims reaches thirty million people, and this year, nearly 5 million people from Iran participated in the ceremony,” Iranian Ambassador added.
Also, referring to the concept of the Mowkeb and the services that the hosts of this ritual, that is, the people of Iraq together with people from other countries, provide for the well-being of the pilgrims along the way, Ambassador Ghashghavi noted, “Hosting pilgrims, who are considered the guests of Imam Hussain (a.s.), has such a high status that sometimes people take a loan from the bank and pay its installments throughout the year, just to be able to spend that money on hosting pilgrims these days.”
In the end, Hassan Ghashghavi expressed his hope that next year all those present at the opening ceremony of the exhibition will be able to participate in the great ritual of Arbaeen.
It worth mentioning that the exhibition will be held until Friday, September 30, 2022, at the Ulma Carissa Gallery in Madrid.