Seven-day funeral program
Funeral ceremonies for Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began in Tehran on July 3. World leaders, senior officials, clerics and academics are expected to attend the seven-day program.
On July 4 and 5, the bodies will be placed at the Grand Musalla in Tehran for public viewing. The Musalla, one of Iran's largest religious complexes, hosts major religious and official ceremonies.
On July 6 and 7, the funeral procession will pass through other parts of Tehran before reaching Qom, about 120 kilometers south of the capital. Qom is Iran's most important Shia Islamic educational center and the city where Ali Khamenei received his education.
On July 8, an official reception will be held in the Iraqi city of Najaf, followed by public marches in Najaf and Karbala. The Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf and the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas in Karbala are among the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
On July 9, the remains will return to Iran and be laid to rest at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. Besides being Iran's holiest city, Mashhad holds personal significance as Khamenei's birthplace and the city where he received his early education.
Who was Ali Khamenei?
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been Iran's religious leader since 1989. He assumed office after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the architect of the Islamic Revolution, and shaped the ideological foundations of the revolution through military and paramilitary structures.
Burial delayed in the shadow of war
Khamenei was killed along with his family members in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28. The attack took place on the first day of the two countries' war against Iran. The funeral, which was planned for March, was postponed because of the ongoing war.
First major state ceremony
The funeral program will be the first major state ceremony under his son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since February, when the war began.
