By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Every year, the number of pilgrims visiting religious sites in Iraq increases. After Iranians were not allowed to travel to Mecca to perform the hajj this year due […]
By Ali Mamouri for Al Monitor. Any views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Saudi newspapers reported Sept. 15 that Shiites are expected to replace their pilgrimage to Mecca with religious visits to Iraq’s Karbala instead. According Al-Riyadh newspaper, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali […]
Wyndham Hotel Group has announced plans for two new hotels in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, in a deal announced with Bukhamseen Group For Real Estate, Tourism, General Trading & Contracting Company. Located just 800m from the Imam Ali Holy Shrine, the third holiest site for the estimated 200 million followers of the Shia […]
Around two million pilgrims from Iraq and other countries have converged on the city of Samarr for mourning rituals marking the martyrdom anniversary of Ali ibn Mohammad (AS), the tenth Shiite Imam. According to top Iraqi military commander Emad al-Zuhairi, the huge crowd of pilgrims performed the religious rites in full security. The city of […]
By John Lee. According to a report from Mehr News Agency, the fifth joint summit on border patrolling of Iran’s west provinces and Iraqi border cities has begun in Mehran, Iran, with the presence of the Commander of the Iranian Border Guard Units General, Ghasem Rezaei [Qasem Rezaee] (pictured). The summit will review the security […]
By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On May 15, the Shiite Endowment issued a statement that in one week, around 12 million Shiite visitors flew to Baghdad’s Kadhimiya district to commemorate the death of Imam Musa al-Kadhim, who died in […]
By John Lee. Bahraini businesses are investing heavily in Iraq, according to a report from Gulf Daily News (GDN). The country's Ambassador to Iraq, Salah Al Malki [Salah Hassan Al-Maliki] (pictured), told GDN: "In recent years, due to an influx of pilgrims going to Iraq, we have seen a surge in the number of Bahraini […]
From AFP. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Shiite Muslims are flocking to the Imam al-Hussein shrine in Karbala in preparation for the Arbaeen religious festival marking the 40th day after Ashura which commemorates the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson:
Ask anyone where the most expensive property is in Iraq and you might expect to hear Baghdad, the capital, or Basra, the hub of the southern oil industry. But according to this report, the highest prices are being paid for development land in Karbala, site of the shrine of Imam al-Hussein, the grandson of the […]
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq is home to some of the most sacred sites for Shia Muslims. Pilgrims from across the Middle East visit in huge numbers. The Governor of Karbala urges western Shias to make the […]
By Muhammad Jawad Adib for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Tourism is the biggest economic resource for Iraq after oil, but the industry's focus on religion in general and on Iranian pilgrims in particular has made the Iraqi tourism sector dependent […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced that more than 130,000 tourists entered Iraq in May. According to Aswat al Iraq, the tourists mainly visited the holy shrines in Karbala, Najaf (pictured), Baghdad and Samarra. Approximately 12,000 tourists came from "Arab and foreign countries", while the rest came from Iran […]
