400,000 Pilgrims Expected to Attend Mourning Ceremony at Imam Khomeini Mausoleum
The main ceremony will be organized at the mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Rey, south of Tehran, which is expected to be attended by some 400,000 pilgrims from around the country.
This is according to officials in charge of the Headquarters for Commemorating Imam Khomeini (RA), speaking at a press conference held at the mausoleum on Saturday.
The officials underlined planning for holding the mourning ceremonies in Tehran and other cities across Iran in the best way possible.
They said some 300 foreign guests are also going to travel to Iran early next month to take part in the main mourning ceremony.
There is also a virtual conference about Imam Khomeini’s thoughts which will be held from May 21 to June 4 with the participation of scholars and thinkers from various countries.
Grand Ayatollah Seyed Rouhollah Mousavi Khomeini, better known as Imam Khomeini, passed away on June 3, 1989 at the age of 87.
As an anti-imperialist icon, he devoted his life to standing up to Iran's former Pahlavi monarchy, a key ally of the United States, and eventually paved the way for the regime’s downfall in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He spent many years in exile in Iraq, Turkey and France, from where he led a swelling grassroots movement, which ultimately put an end to millennia of monarchical rule in Iran.
He came back home on February 1, 1979 after the Shah fled the country amid angry popular demonstrations. The Pahlavi regime fully collapsed 10 days later on February 11.
The mourning ceremonies for Imam Khomeini coincide with the anniversary of June 5, 1963 protests, which are remembered as a prelude to the revolution's victory. The protests broke out after Imam Khomeini was arrested for delivering a historic speech in the holy city of Qom, where he lambasted the “capitulation law” granting immunity to Americans on Iranian soil.
Every year on the occasion, a commemoration ceremony is held at Imam Khomeini’s mausoleum in southern Tehran, with large crowds of mourners attending. Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei traditionally addresses the annual event.
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