TEHRAN — Millions of devotion-driven mourners have flooded the streets of the northeastern city of Mashhad to bid a historic farewell to the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, ahead of his burial rites at the Holy Imam Reza Shrine.
The plane carrying the flag-draped coffins of the late Leader and his family members arrived at Mashhad’s Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport following a delay caused by unprecedented crowds in neighboring Iraq. Due to the massive, million-strong turnout of Iraqi mourners in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, the committee overseeing the ceremonies rescheduled the Mashhad funeral procession from morning to afternoon to accommodate the overwhelming logistics.
Roads leading to the Holy Imam Reza Shrine have been packed for hours with millions of citizens who traveled from across Iran. Waving crimson flags that symbolize the call to avenge the blood of the martyrs and chanting “Labbaik Ya Hussein,” the massive crowds turned the major thoroughfares into a sea of red. Officials noted that the vehicle carrying the coffins is advancing slowly through the tightly packed rows of faithful citizens and will take considerable time to reach the holy precincts.
Ayatollah Khamenei was martyred on February 28 alongside members of his family during the first day of the war of aggression waged by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran. The multi-day funeral ceremonies originally commenced on Friday at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, where international dignitaries paid their respects, followed by a massive public procession in the capital on Monday and historic farewell rites in the holy city of Qom on Tuesday.
The procession then moved to Iraq, where millions of believers held magnificent ceremonies at the holy shrines of Najaf and Karbala, demonstrating the unbreakable transnational unity of the Axis of Resistance. Now back in Iran, the final rites take place inside the Azadi and Enghelab courtyards of the Holy Imam Reza Shrine, which have been fully adorned with portraits of the late Leader, before he is laid to rest according to his final wishes.
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