Arabic version: إيران تبدأ أسبوع الحداد على الزعيم الأعلى الراحل علي خامنئي

Starting on July 3, millions are expected to gather for seven days of funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with events planned across Iran and Iraq. The burial, initially scheduled for March, was postponed due to the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran. Khamenei, 86, was killed alongside several family members in a joint US-Israeli air strike on February 28, the first day of the war.

According to Al Jazeera, the funeral will mark the first major state ceremony under his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained largely out of the public eye since the war began.

The funeral program will kick off in Tehran on July 3, where global leaders and religious figures will pay their respects. Public ceremonies in Tehran will occur on July 4 and 5, with Khamenei’s coffin lying in state at the Grand Mosalla, one of Iran’s largest prayer complexes.

Processions will continue through Tehran and move to Qom on July 6 and 7, a city renowned for its Shia Islamic scholarship. An official reception is scheduled at Najaf International Airport on July 8, followed by public processions in Najaf and Karbala, two of Iraq’s holiest cities for Shia Muslims.

The final burial ceremony will take place on July 9 at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashhad, a city significant to Khamenei, who was born there. His burial near one of Shia Islam’s revered figures symbolizes his dual role as both a political and religious leader in Iran.