Hotels
Staying in Najaf
Najaf is the air gateway for Atabat pilgrimage to Najaf and Karbala, with a huge seasonal spike at Arbaeen. Pilgrims travel in groups, often on packages, and pay a flat pilgrim exit fee instead of the ordinary exit tax. Eghamat24 lists hotels in both Najaf and Karbala payable in rial.
Checked 3 November 2026Partly official
What we could not confirm
- Iraq's current visa rule for Iranian passports has no official source.
- The Fars report of Najaf round trips sold up to about 200 million toman and the Bimeh.com Arbaeen dates (walk from 3 Mordad, Arbaeen day 13 Mordad 1405) were not verified.
- The weekly Tehran–Karbala rail-bus-rail service via Shalamcheh (announced 2024) has no 2026 confirmation.
Booking sites
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Kinds of stay
Hotel
Eghamat24's international hotel cities include Najaf and Karbala, and its FAQ says foreign hotels can be paid in rial with a Shetab card. Snapptrip and Ghasedak24 have Tehran–Najaf flight route pages.
For Arbaeen 1405 (sales from 31 Tir 1405 for 1–16 Mordad) the capped round-trip airfare to Najaf or Baghdad was 24 million toman from Tehran and western airports and 28 million from Mashhad and eastern airports, with child fares equal to adult fares and surcharges banned.
Tips
- Arbaeen tickets were sold only on airline sites and authorized online platforms, and group sales of more than 9 people were banned; a Fars report of round trips quoted up to about 200 million toman on some sites was not verified.
- Atabat pilgrims pay a flat 1405 exit fee of 90,000 toman by air or 30,000 by land or sea instead of the tiered exit tax; Arbaeen pilgrims exit free between 16 Tir and 16 Mordad if registered in Samah and using designated borders.
- Iraq's entry rule for Iranians is unsettled: Wikipedia lists 30 days visa-free (15 in the Kurdistan Region), but other 2025–2026 sources conflict and Arbaeen pilgrims have historically needed a visa; check the current rule before buying.
- In 1405, non-absent conscripts could leave for Atabat and Arbaeen pilgrimage during Muharram and Safar without bail.
- Seasonal caps are a long-standing pattern: in 1400 the Najaf return cap was 5 million toman from western cities and 6 million from Mashhad, so the 1405 figures are roughly 4.7–4.8 times higher.