The head of the Scientific and Cultural Organization of the holy shrine of Imam Reza, Abdolhamid Talebi, said that the shrine has been making preparations to receive the pilgrims amid the upcoming festivities of mid-Sha'ban (the 10th month of lunar calendar) and Persian Nowrouz holidays.
"The city of Mashhad has long been a perfect example of hosting pilgrims, and we hope to put this commendable behavior into practice once again this year," Talebi said, stressing that decent hospitality was one of the greatest ethos of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) infallible household.
As for the preparations, the official pointed to the measures by the City Council to provide decent services to the pilgrims as well as round the clock work to clean and decorate the city.
The holy shrine has also embarked on some arrangements such as increasing the number of servants and putting up numerous banners to meet the demands of the incoming pilgrims.
The holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) is also going to host special cultural and religious programs for the pilgrims such as sermons, speeches, meetings, etc.
The mid-Sha’ban festivities mark the birthday of the Twelfth Shiite Imam (AS), which falls on March 18 this year.