07.07.2026 00:00
After a week-long farewell ceremony in Tehran for Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who lost his life in the US-Israel attacks on February 28, his body was brought to the holy city of Qom. Thousands of people packed the historic Jamkaran Mosque, waiting in great reverence for the morning prayer time before the funeral prayer to be held at dawn.
The 6-day state funeral for Iran's religious leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who lost his life in the joint US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28, is witnessing historic moments in the city of Qom. Thousands of people gathered around the Jamkaran Mosque in the city are waiting for the morning prayer to be performed before Khamenei's funeral prayer.
LIFE CAME TO A STANDSTILL
Life effectively came to a standstill across the country to bid farewell to Ali Khamenei, who governed the Islamic Republic of Iran for 36 years and died as a result of an assassination attempt at the end of February. Following the massive farewell march of millions in the capital Tehran, his body was brought to the city of Qom, one of the most important holy centers of the Shia world.
Starting from midnight, the massive crowd, streaming into the Jamkaran Mosque with flags, banners carrying revenge slogans, and portraits of Khamenei, began to await the morning call to prayer and the subsequent funeral prayer with great reverence.
The red revenge flags held by the gathered enormous crowd also drew attention.
HISTORY'S LARGEST MOURNING CEREMONY WITH MILLIONS OF PARTICIPANTS
Officials and international observers estimate that the number of people participating in the events, starting from the ceremonies on the streets of Tehran, has so far reached approximately 12 to 15 million. Such a high participation rate makes Khamenei's funeral one of the most crowded and largest funeral ceremonies in modern history.
THE BODY WILL FIRST BE TAKEN TO HOLY LANDS IN IRAQ
After the prayer in Qom, the route of the next official program prepared for the religious leader will proceed as follows:
On Tuesday evening, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's body will be transported by plane to Najaf, the holy city with the highest symbolic importance for the Shia world in Iraq.
As part of the Iraq program on Wednesday, visits will be made to the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf and the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala. Major religious rituals will be held around the body.
HE WILL BE BURIED IN MASHHAD ON THURSDAY
Immediately after the visits to the holy sites in Iraq, Khamenei's body will be brought back to Iran by helicopters and planes on Thursday. The final stop of the historic funeral procession and the 6-day mourning period will be Mashhad, the city where the religious leader was born. Khamenei will be laid to rest with prayers in the world-famous Imam Reza Shrine complex in Mashhad, visited by millions of faithful every year.