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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 4:30 PM CDT

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.

Copyright 2026 NPR
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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