As the days of Arbaeen approach and cities fill with the fervor of pilgrimage, servants of Imam Reza Shrine have launched service camps (Mukibs) across Iraq to support the growing wave of pilgrims devoted to Imam Hussain.

According to Seyyed Ali Bamashki, director of shrine services at Imam Reza Shrine, the deployment of shrine servants to Iraq is in coordination with Arbaeen events. “This service effort now extends beyond the shrine’s courtyards in Mashhad, reaching from southeastern and southwestern borders of Iran to multiple Iraqi cities.”

Groups of shrine servants have been dispatched in three organized teams and several grassroots formations. These volunteers are stationed in walking routes and major cities including Najaf, Karbala, Kadhimiya, and Samarra, where they operate camps named after Imam Reza.

Many of these volunteers are local camp organizers in Iraq, supported by Imam Reza Shrine. A special delegation known as “Ambassadors of the Kind Nation” has been tasked with honoring fellow servants and camp leaders along the Arbaeen route. They also deliver blessed items such as the shrine’s flag and other sacred tokens to the camps.

The first group departed last week, followed by the second caravan today, carrying the message of Imam Reza’s compassion and dignity to pilgrims and fellow servants. This as around 1000 shrine servants, dressed in service uniforms and bearing the shrine’s flag, are active at border points and Iraqi cities.

Their services include supply and distribution of meals, lodging, providing medical care, offering cultural programs, repair assistance, as well as distribution of salt, rock candy, and bread. “This initiative began in late July and will continue for several days after Arbaeen”.

After the pilgrimage, the servants will return to Mashhad to welcome pilgrims during the final days of Safar, especially on the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Reza.