Largest Funeral in History? Iranian Media Says 43 Million Joined Ali Khamenei’s Last Rites

Iranian media has claimed that between 41 million and 43 million people attended the six-day funeral ceremonies of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, describing it as one of the largest public funeral gatherings in history. However, the reported attendance figures have not been independently verified by international media outlets.

Ali Khamenei died in a US-Israeli attack on his house in Tehran and was buried four months later during a prolonged state of mourning, according to Press TV. The broadcaster reported that this would be the biggest funeral in the history of world.

Funeral Ceremonies Held Across Iran and Iraq

The funeral activities were held in five main cities of Iran and Iraq including Tehran, Qom, Mashhad, Najaf and Karbala. The ceremonies started at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla religious complex where thousands of mourners gathered to pay their last respects before the funeral was held in a procession through several cities.

Later, Ali Khamenei’s body was buried in the courtyard of the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad, according to Iranian media reports.

Regional Groups Attend Ali Khamenei Funeral

In addition to senior Iranian officials and religious leaders, Iranian reports indicated that representatives of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and the Houthis participated in the funeral ceremonies.

Extensive security measures were in place, with authorities putting in place tight security at the events.

Attendance Figures Await Independent Verification

The total attendance has been estimated by Iranian media at 41 million to 43 million people but no major international news outlets have been able to independently confirm these numbers. The figure reported is what Iranian state media said at the time of publication.

The reported turnout has attracted global attention due to its scale, but independent confirmation of the attendance statistics is still awaited.