There, the call for prayer echoed through the vast courtyards where hundreds of clerics in white and black turbans waited for hours before they held prayers over Khamenei’s remains.
From Najaf, the coffin was brought by land to the holy city of Karbala, where many arrived in the early hours of the morning, or even a day before, to secure a spot in the sacred sites and their surrounding alleyways.
Water sprinklers offered some relief from the heat as mourners chanted in response to a voice blaring from loudspeakers, praising the Islamic republic, its leaders and the commanders of Tehran’s “axis of resistance”, which include Iraqi armed groups.
The coffin entered Karbala in the evening advancing slowly through massive crowds, heading towards the main procession route leading to the shrines.
In Karbala, like in Najaf, food and drink stalls lined the streets, while security forces were heavily deployed and medical teams stood ready for emergencies.
Um Ali, who refused to give her name, said she travelled from Baghdad with her sons.
“My conscience brought me. My religion brought me,” she said, adding “we have done nothing but weep” since Khamenei was killed.
The remains of Khamenei’s relatives who were killed with him, including his granddaughter, were quietly brought early Wednesday to the shrines of both cities.
