Millions Attend Ayatollah Khamenei’s Funeral in Mashhad
News Desk
Mashhad: The funeral prayer for Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, was held at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, led by Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani.
Iranian media reported that millions of mourners attended the funeral prayer before the burial ceremony.
According to Iranian reports, Ayatollah Khamenei and several members of his family are being laid to rest within the Imam Reza Shrine complex in Mashhad, in accordance with his reported final wish to be buried near the shrine.
The streets surrounding the Imam Reza Shrine were packed with mourners who gathered to pay their final respects. Participants carried Iranian flags, portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei, and, according to reports, some Pakistani flags. Red flags, regarded by many as a symbol of revenge, were also visible during the procession.
Iranian media reported that some mourners chanted slogans and displayed banners during the funeral procession. These reports have not been independently verified.
A special aircraft carrying the bodies of Ayatollah Khamenei and some members of his family arrived in Mashhad earlier in the day following six days of funeral ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq.
According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, the late leader’s body was taken to several cities in both countries, where large numbers of mourners attended funeral prayers and tribute ceremonies.
Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, head of Ayatollah Khamenei’s office, said the late leader had expressed a wish during his lifetime to be buried near the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, one of Iran’s holiest cities.
Before arriving in Mashhad, funeral ceremonies were held in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. Funeral prayers were offered at the shrine of Hazrat Ali (RA) in Najaf before the body was transferred to the shrine of Imam Hussein (RA) in Karbala.
Iranian media claimed that around four million mourners participated in the funeral procession in Karbala. However, these crowd estimates have not been independently confirmed.
The burial in Mashhad marks the conclusion of six days of funeral rites and mourning ceremonies held across Iran and Iraq. Iranian officials described the ceremonies as being conducted with religious devotion and official honors.
The week-long mourning ceremonies began at Imam Khomeini Mosque in Tehran on Friday. Public farewell gatherings and funeral prayers continued over the following days in Tehran, Qom, Najaf, and Karbala before concluding with the burial ceremony at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.
