Crowds take to the streets of Tehran at the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Crowds dressed in black occupied the streets of central Tehran from dawn on Monday (6), before the funeral procession of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"It's our duty to be here. He was our imam," Ali, 59, told CNN. According to him, the presence of the population demonstrates the solidarity of the Iranian people.
The procession route was transformed into a sea of flags, including those of Iran, religious symbols and banners of political causes, such as those of Palestine and Hezbollah.
Participants chanted uninterruptedly, without the ayatollah's coffin appearing more than an hour after the official start time of the ceremony. Parents pushed strollers as men, women and children of all ages crowded the streets.
"He was our leader. He was a great man," Fatemeh, 25, told CNN. "I will continue on your way."
From a walkway over the procession route, it was possible to see people heading towards the main axis of the procession.
The third day of Khamenei's public funeral takes place in the Iranian capital. The tributes began on Friday (3), when the supreme leader's coffin was put on display in Tehran.
See the remaining schedule for the ceremony, which spans six days:
July 6 (Monday) - This Monday's events are expected to bring together the largest audience so far in Tehran. The main procession, which includes funeral prayers, will cover a 10-kilometer route between Imam Hossein Square and Azadi Square.
July 7 (Tuesday) - Prayers will be held at the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, an important holy city located about 150 kilometers south of Tehran. A funeral procession may also take place at the site, if conditions permit.
July 8 (Wednesday) - Khamenei's body will be taken to the Iraqi city of Najaf, in a demonstration by the regime that its revolutionary ideology continues to cross borders. There will be an official reception attended by Iraq's Prime Minister, government officials and religious leaders, before the procession heads to the Imam Ali Shrine, an important pilgrimage site for Shia Muslims. The body will then be transported by helicopter to the Shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, some 80 kilometers away, before returning by plane to Iran.
July 9 (Thursday) - Khamenei will be buried at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam and the city where he was born.
Learn about the 1979 Revolution that established the Ayatollah regime in Iran
Source: CNN