Despite war and strife, millions of Shia Muslims in Iraq gather for sacred pilgrimage

NPR | By Jane Arraf,

Rob Schmitz, Michael Levitt, Daniel Ofman

Published August 8, 2026 at 5:30 PM EDT

More than 20 million Shia pilgrims flocked to a shrine city in Iraq this week, including millions of Iranians, despite the wars tearing across the Middle East.

Jane Arraf

See stories by Jane Arraf

Rob Schmitz

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin.

See stories by Rob Schmitz

Michael Levitt

Daniel Ofman

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