The plane carrying the bodies of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyid Ali Khamenei, and members of his family arrived at Shahid Hasheminejad International Airport in Mashhad on Thursday ahead of the final funeral procession and burial ceremonies.
The arrival followed a delay caused by the unprecedented turnout of mourners in Iraq, where millions participated in farewell ceremonies held in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
The committee responsible for overseeing the reception and burial of the late Leader in Mashhad announced that, in light of the Iraqi people’s historic and overwhelming participation, the funeral procession was rescheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time on Thursday.
As part of the final ceremonies, the body of Ayatollah Khamenei will be carried along Imam Reza [AS] Street toward the shrine of Imam Reza [AS], the eighth Shia Imam, where the concluding funeral rites and burial will take place.
Ayatollah Khamenei was assassinated alongside several members of his family on February 28, the opening day of the 40-day illegal war of aggression launched by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran.
The multi-day funeral began on Friday, when Ayatollah Khamenei’s body lay in state at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosalla, where foreign dignitaries and religious figures paid their respects. Public farewell ceremonies continued on Saturday, followed by funeral prayers on Sunday.
On Monday, millions of Iranians lined the streets of Tehran as the funeral procession passed through the capital before the ceremonies continued on Tuesday in the holy city of Qom.
The funeral then moved to Iraq, where millions of mourners attended historic farewell ceremonies in Najaf, home to the shrine of Imam Ali [AS], the first Shia Imam, and in Karbala, where the shrines of Imam Hussein [AS], the third Shia Imam, and his brother Hazrat Abbas [AS] are located.
Following the ceremonies in Iraq, the bodies were returned to Mashhad for the final stage of the funeral.
Large numbers of Iranians from across the country have traveled to Mashhad to pay their final respects to the martyred Leader ahead of the concluding funeral and burial ceremonies.
Source: Al-Ahed English News
