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Religious tourism heals rifts
The holy city perhaps has no Iraqi features any longer because of the thousands of Iranians who scatter among its alleys and streets as visitors to Imam Hussain Bin Ali's shrine, especially after the Iraqi government's decision to reopen the border with Iran to allow Iranians to visit the holy Shiite sites.
Haitham Al Attar, a trader in Karbala, told Gulf News: "I am not exaggerating if I say that 80 per cent of the trading in the city depends on Iranian visitors. It is not confined to selling Iraqi goods to Iranians or buying Iranian goods. There are big Iranian investments in real estate, commercial markets, imports from different countries - that means there are Iranian partners with Iraqi merchants."
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Persian is considered the second language in Karbala after Arabic. Many of the city's residents, especially those who work at the Imam Hussain shrine and commercial markets, speak Persian fluently.
Shabir Al Asadi, a student at the Hawza related to the Shiite religious authority, told Gulf News: "Karbala and southern Iraqi provinces have a warm fraternal relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran due to the common sectarian doctrine.
Appreciate relationship
"I think Iranians appreciate this relationship and support Karbala citizens for its special place in their heart for it enfolds the holy shrine of Hussain Al Sharif. Their contributions and donations to the shrine and Hawza are generously continuous, and frankly I love Iran so strongly."
Iranian visitors get special acceptation and treatment in Karbala by order of the province's council and security authorities, even the Iranian visitors' processions are protected by Iraqi police to prevent attacks with explosives or by suicide bombers.
Some Iranian visitors have strong social ties with Iraqi families and they exchange visits and hospitality. Abu Haider Al Khazali told Gulf News: "I work for a religious charity institution and I met some Iranians on several occasions and when they come to Karbala I host them in my house and they do the same when I visit the Iranian holy city of Qom."
Under Saddam Hussain's regime, the Al Huda Company operated by the Iraqi intelligence services and security was the only company authorised to receive and supervise Iranian visitors.
Hundreds of agents were assigned to monitor Iranians when they passed through the Mundhiriya border crossing in Khan-aqin in Diyala province.
The Saddam regime earned millions of dollars facilitating Iranian visits to Karbala, Najaf and other religious sites. It used the income to maintain the regime during the economic blockade between 1990 and 2003.
The present Iraqi government wants to expand Iranian religious tourism and expects revenues to reach $2 billion to $3 billion (about Dh7 billion to 11 billion) per year.
Haitham Al Attar, a trader in Karbala, told Gulf News: "I am not exaggerating if I say that 80 per cent of the trading in the city depends on Iranian visitors. It is not confined to selling Iraqi goods to Iranians or buying Iranian goods. There are big Iranian investments in real estate, commercial markets, imports from different countries - that means there are Iranian partners with Iraqi merchants."
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Persian is considered the second language in Karbala after Arabic. Many of the city's residents, especially those who work at the Imam Hussain shrine and commercial markets, speak Persian fluently.
Shabir Al Asadi, a student at the Hawza related to the Shiite religious authority, told Gulf News: "Karbala and southern Iraqi provinces have a warm fraternal relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran due to the common sectarian doctrine.
Appreciate relationship
"I think Iranians appreciate this relationship and support Karbala citizens for its special place in their heart for it enfolds the holy shrine of Hussain Al Sharif. Their contributions and donations to the shrine and Hawza are generously continuous, and frankly I love Iran so strongly."
Iranian visitors get special acceptation and treatment in Karbala by order of the province's council and security authorities, even the Iranian visitors' processions are protected by Iraqi police to prevent attacks with explosives or by suicide bombers.
Some Iranian visitors have strong social ties with Iraqi families and they exchange visits and hospitality. Abu Haider Al Khazali told Gulf News: "I work for a religious charity institution and I met some Iranians on several occasions and when they come to Karbala I host them in my house and they do the same when I visit the Iranian holy city of Qom."
Under Saddam Hussain's regime, the Al Huda Company operated by the Iraqi intelligence services and security was the only company authorised to receive and supervise Iranian visitors.
Hundreds of agents were assigned to monitor Iranians when they passed through the Mundhiriya border crossing in Khan-aqin in Diyala province.
The Saddam regime earned millions of dollars facilitating Iranian visits to Karbala, Najaf and other religious sites. It used the income to maintain the regime during the economic blockade between 1990 and 2003.
The present Iraqi government wants to expand Iranian religious tourism and expects revenues to reach $2 billion to $3 billion (about Dh7 billion to 11 billion) per year.
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