Masks were almost nowhere to be seen as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims thronged the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala to commemorate Ashura, ignoring Covid fears.

AFP reports pilgrim numbers were down from the millions who attended before the pandemic took hold, and there were only a few pilgrims from outside Iraq, most from Iran or from Pakistan.

Even though only a little over five per cent of Iraqis have been fully vaccinated against Covid, pilgrims insisted they had no need of masks, counting on divine providence to protect them.

Before the pandemic, the pilgrimages in Iraq were among the largest religious gatherings in the world, and there have been concerns they could act as super-spreading events.