TEHRAN (Tasnim) � The mayor and governor of Iraq�s holy city of Karbala and governor-general of Karbala province expressed their gratitude to Tehran Municipality for providing good services to the pilgrims visiting the city during this year�s Arbaeen.

In a meeting with Vice-Mayor of Tehran Mojtaba Abdollahi, the Iraqi officials thanked the devoted personnel of Tehran Municipality for their �generous efforts� to serve the Arbaeen pilgrims.

During the session that lasted for two hours, the two sides also held talks on ways to continue cooperation between the municipalities of Tehran and Karbala and exchange experiences in various fields including garbage collection, design of green spaces, parks and gardens and beautification of cities.

On Thursday, some 27 million Muslims from over 60 countries gathered in the holy city of Karbala to hold mourning rituals marking Arbaeen, the 40th day after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shiite Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).

Some 2 million Iranians were among the foreign pilgrims who traveled to Iraq to attend the Arbaeen rituals in Karbala.

Vice mayor of Tehran had earlier said that the city�s municipality would lend the Iraqi holy cities of Karbala and Najaf a hand with the holding of Arbaeen rites

In a meeting with governor of Najaf Javad Hussein al-Yasseri in Tehran on November 1, Abdollahi said that Tehran�s municipality would dispatch more than 2,000 workers to Karbala for municipal services during Arbaeen.

By Tasnim News Agency